The Inquisition Revived

8/7/2019 The Inquisition Revived

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The Inquisition revived.

A NARRATIVE

by

Dn. Angel Herreros De Mora

of hla

Imprisonment by the "Tribunal of the Faith,"

and

Escape from Spain.

Translated by

Rev. W. H. Rule, D.D.

With an Appendix by the Translator.

New-York:Anson D. F. Randolph, 683 Broadway.


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Jobn \!l. (!ira~,

PRINTER AND STEREOTYPERy

FUlE.PllOOY BUILDtNGS, 16 & 18 J..a.COB STB.EET.


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/7 PREFACE.

THE author of the following narrative is a Castilian ge

tleman, of prepossessing aspect, warm and amiable disposi-

tion, polished manners, an accomplished scholar, an ardent

tHend of liberty, in favor of which he has distinguished

himself as IIwriter, and IIdevoted Protestant Christian. ::

Since his conversion from the Romish faith, in which he~cated as a priest, he has been ardently engaged ifI

the diffusion of truth among his countrymen; and, IIfew

months ago, he published the first part of a powerful work

inst the Jesuits. e has cooperated with Spanish and

British friends in the . sion of the Scriptures and tracts

in S ain, residin' adrid with his family, which consistswifc, a littlo son, and his mother-In-law, a French

lady of Huguenot descent, and of exalted and active

piety.

In the spring of 1856, Mr. Mora visited the United States,

and eulisted the interest of American Christians in the

spiritual condition of his country. He returned in thesummer, with an appointment as agent of the American

Bible Society for Spain, expecting to enjoy the same free-

dom as before in his evangelical labors, under the liberal

Government of Espartero, which had secured freedom of

speech and the press, and had failed by only three votes in

the Cortes, in a vigorous effort to establish unrestricted

religions freedom, by IInew constitution. But, on the

very first night after his arrival in Madrid, was commenced

the bloody revolution which drove Espartero from power,

and soon afterwards compelled O'Donnell to resign, lea.ving

the party of the priests and the absolutists with the Qneen,

and much of the power of the government in their favor,


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VI PREFACE.

against the will of the mass of the people, and many of

the statesmen and nobility. Their triumph will probablybe but short.

The Inquisition and the Jesuits, although long suppressed

by law in Spain, have secretly kept up their organizations

under false names, according to their practice in other

countries where they dare not appear openly j and they

ventured to seize Mr. Mora, fearing the effects of his pow-erful advocacy of the truth, strengthened by the name and

assistance of Americans. The cowardly and inhuman

inanner in which their agents proceeded will be seen in

the Narrative, as well as the heroic Christian courage and

constancy displayed by their victim, the devotion and

energy of his wife and mother-in-law, and the prompt inter-ference of the British Government, to whose energy the

the freedom, and, doubtless the life of Mr. Morn, are due.

The deepest interest was excited in the United States by

the news of Mr. Mora's imprisonment j and a Committee

was appointed in NAw-York, to secure the interposition of

our Government in his favor, to call public meetings, etc.His release rendered such efforts unnecessary; but it reo

mains constituted.

The American friend of Mr. Mora, who has edited this

American edition of his Narrative, has availed himself of a

translation hastily made in London, by the Rev. Dr. W. H.

Rnle, of the British Methodist Church, formerly a devotedand successful missionary in Spain, and an intimate friend

of the author. Some emendations have been made in the

style, to render it more clearly intelligible to Americanreaders. The valuable article which forms tho Appendix

is also from the pen of Dr. Rule, and contains so much in-

formation concerning the 1a W l! of Spain, that readers notparticularly acquainted with the history of that country in

the present century, may read the Appendix with advau-

tage before they commence the Narrative.


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C O N T E N T S .

P~OJC

I.-THE PLAGUE OF SPAIN,................. 1

H.-REFORMATION, [)

IH.-THE COUP D'ETAT,.. . . . . . . . . . . 11

IV.-My ARREST,........................... 16

y.-uTilE SALOON,"........................ 31

YI.-My ANTEOEDENTS,... " .... 40YH.-CONFESSION OF THE TRUTH, .. 49

VIH.-YIOAR PANDO,......................... 55

TIL-THE PHYSICIANS,....................... 64

X.-VIOLE1'lOE,............................. 67

XI.-THE DAWN OF HOpE,.............. .. 72

XII.-ATTEMPT TO POISON,........ . .. . . . . .. . . 78XIII.-FLIGHT ADvISED,.................... . . 87

XIV.-THE EXAMINATION,........... , 91

XV.-DEEP SoRROW, 103

XVI.-THE JESUITS' CONVENT, 106

XVII.-INTERIOR OF TIlE CONVENT,.......... 113

XVIII.-THE SURVEY,......... 118XIX-THE EsoAPE, ............. 122

XX-THE CONCEALllENT,......... . . . . .. 135

XXI.-THE FLIGHT, " .. 142

XXII.--To EiliGLABD,.. 148

XXIII.-CONOLUSION, . " " 153

APPENDIX, 162


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lO R A 'S N A R R A T IV E .

I.

THE PLAGUE OF SPAIN.

THERE were times when Spain was indis-putably one of the finest nations in theworld. In the days of Columbus and Cervan-tes, Spain was the parent of many illustriousmen: the model of chivalry and nobility,generous, humane, and scientific. Spain wasonce the first of provinces, and then the firstor-civilizednations, the luminary which chasedaway the darkness from a transatlantic world

before unknown; but in spite of the uninter-rupted efforts of the most enlightened, virtu-ous, and intelligent of her sons, she has sincebeen under the fatal dominion of the Jesuitsfor more than two centuries.

Like all other countries where the influenceof the followers of Loyola is predominant,1


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4 NARRATIVE OF IMPRISONMENT.

Rossini; with the devout Clara, with SisterPatrocini and her wounds, with the famous cru-cifix that winks and bleeds, or with dancing inthe churches, made more interesting by thepirouetfs of the celebrated petit-pas.

This is the only religion, Bible, and Gospelthat is exhibited inmy beloved country, as Ihave already stated in a work for which I amsuffering persecution, but which is so exactlytrue, that no one has ventured to attempt a

refutation of my History of the Jesuits.But, after all the efforts of those evil ge

muses, notwithstanding the dark manceuvresof the descendants of the Peters and the Au-gers, that Camarilla which undertakes gentlyand paternally to conduct the people, theGovernment, and the throne to destruction,by ceaselessly infusing their poison into theentire mass of the nation, there is a real, posi-

tive, and palpable fact which everyone mustacknowledge j and this is, that out of thismass, h a 1 f infected, as it is, by the corruptleaven of Loyola, there have lately separatedthemselves, and now more than ever separate

themselves in greater number than wouldbe easily believed, an immense multitude ofpersons who keep themsel es free from the


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REFORMATION. 5

contagion. That body of powerful indvidu-

als are called by Providence to replace thestatue of their country upon the pedestal of

Spanish honor-which yet remains, in spite

of so many and oft repeated losses and disas-

ters-and to rescue their country from the

uerfidy of that host which knows no other

nationality, religion, or object of devotion,

~han a universal dominion for themselves.

II.

REFORMATION.

SOME good men, full of hope, devoted

themselves to the prosecution of a great ob-ject in the Constituent Cortes of 1854. They

labored for the realization of a fact, without

which Spain would still be in the same condi-

tion as it was three centuries ago, cut off from

the rest of Europe: and believing, as theycould not but believe that the sovereign As-

sembly had comprehended the grand idea, and

fully appreciated the importance of the reli-

gious question, they felt perfectly at ease.

But that very confidence, that silence intowhich they were betrayed, was induced by


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6 NARRATIVE OF IMPRISONMEKT.

the delusive hope that stills and quenches the

fervid aspirations of the soul. The truth is.that they were perplexed by the unsteadyadvance and the vacillating positiontaken by

the legislative body; or, rather, by the lackof energy and feeblenessof purpose in an in-

significantnumber of members of the Cortes"

and, above all, by the absence of directionand foresight in the Government.

However, although the majorities of votes

gave a victory to the enemy, the question hadbeen morally decided, and the force of reac-

tion was greatly weakened by the memor-able discoursesof Degollada, Corradi, Monte-

sinos, Ruiz Pons, Suris, Secane, Salmeron,

Figueras, and others, which made a profoundimpression on the public mind by bold,

manly, learned and prolonged speeches in

favor of the immediate and unschackled

freedom of religion in Spain, freedom of

speech and freedom of the Press !The people, the men of toil and industry,

the real people, who had hitherto been kept

asleep by the theatrical symphonies of the

Jesuitico-Roman temples, and sunk in agloomy incliiference,awoke at the sound of

the most solemn discussion that ever disturb-


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REFORllATION. 7

ed the atmosphere of the Spanish Parliament.The speeches of those who advocated thegood cause were printed and circulated ingreat numbers; and in Barcelona alone tenthousand copies of the speech of Degollada

were sold ina single afternoon. Those dis-courses the people read over and over withavidity, all eager to catch the first sight ofthem as they appeared. Much, very much,

was said in those documents, which are nowdelivered into the charge of history. By theabundance and clearness of their light, theytold powerfully for a time on multitudes ac-customed only to the deep shades of supersti-

tion and of tyranny which had overspreadChristianity itself. The publication of thosediscourses produced the desired effect on thebest and finest portion of the Spanish nation:and, thanks to the active and earnest cooper-ation of the free press, people became familiarwith the subject.

The p~ that mighty instrument whichhas wrought such rich effectsin our unhappy

country during the brief intervals when ty-rants have dropped the gag, poured in freshlight upon the Parliament, imparting newid i i i i i i d di i


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ing through the country every thing that was

there spoken, so that even the humblest un-derstanding could easily comprehend it.

At length, conversation on religious liber-ty became general in all circles, and was dis-

cussed warmly even among the commonpeople. And it is now an indisputable fact,that the Constituent Cortes, the press, and thepopular discussion of the question, have won-derfully diminished the deep darkness of that

bigotry which oppressed the understanding ofthousands, who, weary of Jesuitical and Papaltyranny, and detesting the ridiculous doc-trines and practices of an official religion,

imposed on them by main force, were yet

prevented from following the religion of theLord Jesus, by the terrors of persecution,tortures, and fire, being unable to get even asight of the written Gospel.

Inorderto

give an enlarged and perman-ent circulation to the above-mentioned Dis.courses, I collected them, wrote a preface, andpublished them ina distinct form, (a volumeof 600 pages) and they obtained a consider-

able circulation. At the same time, Ipro-ceeded to publish in parts my work againstthe Jesuits, that perverse and mischievous


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REFORMATION. 9

Roman institution, which, although routedagain and again, has recovered all that itpossessed in the most flourishing period of itsexistence. .Although the satellites of thePope made some show of opposition, the Gov-

ernment regarded the publication favorably,and it found general acceptance.

.In the religious "Basis" of the new Con-

stitution, which was drawn up very obscure-ly, there was a place made possible, on onehand, almost for liberty of worship; but, onthe other, THE TRIBUNAL OF THE FAITHmight also establish its dominion, flexiblyadapting itself to all circumstances, and, in

times of reaction, it might even direct publicaffairs.

When matters were in that state, a fewpersons-and I the least of them-met toge-ther, in order to establish some plan for keep-

ing the ground which had been gained, andcontinuing, with faith and constancy, to sowthat living seed whose fruit would be nothingless than the actual establishment of religious

liberty.I proposed that some one should visitGreat Britain, and confer with religious men,

ll i t t h


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measure, the unexampled piety of the British

people, and the assistance they so generouslyrender for spreading the Gospel among allnations of the world. My proposal was ac-cepted without discussion, and supported bythe majority of those present. I came toLondon; and as soon as my object was un-derstood by some earnest promoters of evan-gelical doctrine, of true catholic Christianity,of the real Church of Christ, they afforded

prompt assistance with a liberality which Imust be permitted to acknowledge. Gentle-men of distinguished piety and zeal formedthemselves into a Central Committee, whichappointed, as one of its Secretaries, the Rev.Dr. Rule, well acquainted with Spain, withSpaniards, and with Spanish literature, and'one who had disseminated the true doctrinein that country for some years, not without

fruit, and whom nothing less than a clericalreaction, resembling that which is now dom-inant in the Peninsula, could have drivenaway by forcefrom the beautiful city of Cadiz,after having labored there with such goodeffects. Let me observe, by the way, thatSenor Sanch, one of the Commission of Corteswho exerted themselves for the establishment


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THE COUP D'ETAT. 11

of liberty of worship, confessed, in open Par

liament, that nothing would surprise him lessthan to see a Protestant Church opened in

Cadiz or Malaga.

ill

THE COUP D'ETAT.

On my return to Spain, I found the goodseed. springing up on all sides. My mission

had produced a salutary effect. Societies and

individuals in Great Britain rendered us liber-

al assistance. Books, tracts, and articles in

newspapers circulated largely, freely, and withgood effect. The liberal press afforded us

powerful and decided help, contending, with-

out reserve, against the system and the abuses

of the anti-Christian Church of the Popes.The absolutist and clerical press fought with

energy against us. The tract entitled "An-drew Dunn" was honored with five leading

articles in contradiction; and it may be con-

fidently affirmed, that for the last two centu-ries and a half so much had not been said in

Spain of the Reformed Church, of Protestant-2*


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12 NARRATIYE OF nrPRISONMENT.

ism and of its doctrines, as within the last

two years.Encouraged by the appearances of an evan-

gelical renovation, both in the capital and inthe provinces of my dear country, it was de-cided that I should go to the United States of

America, in prosecution of the same objectwhich had taken me to England. Again Dr.Rule opened my way; and on that occasionmy dear and indefatigable friend procured for

me all that was necessary for the attainmentof the desired object. Those faithful menwho have preserved so constantly the depositentrusted to them by their fathers, hastened,as soon as they saw me, to imitate their Chris-

tian zeal. New York, Boston, Bible Socie-ties, Tract Societies, zealous individuals, unit-ed their contributions; and what they did toaid in the propagation of the Gospel in Spainwill never be erased from my memory.

When I returned to my country, appointedagent of the American Dible and Tract So-cieties, and furnished with additional meansfor pursuing the work on which my heart

continues tobe

fully set, I related what hadoccurred in my visit to those distant lands;and although my labors, and su1ferings too,


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THE COUP D'ETAT. 13

had not been light, I counted them as noth-

ing, r~joicing that the religious feeling ofAmerica corresponded so entirely with that

of the mother country, the one and the other

being completely identified in this respect.

It was but the night before those days of

slaughter, of which the recollection at this

moment awakens horror-a few hours before

despotism and the Papacy, those two tyran-

nies which still afflict many nations, had set

up a man to be their instrument, whom threemonths afterwards they cast off as of no fur-

ther service-just the night before O'Donnell's

coup d'etat, I reached Madrid.

When that terrible struggle was over, while

the streets were stained with the blood of goodSpaniards, the houses of the best citizens laid

in ruins, many unoffending men murdered

with shot and sword., there stood the mur-

derer, like a bull after the fight, when it lifts

its head from the horse that it has gored to

death, and seems to stand seared, contemplat-

ing with amazement the victim of its own

cruelty. But civil tyranny is less cruel, less

insensible to humanity, than that most crueland intolerant priesthood. While O'Donnell

was gazing with stupefaction, and perhaps


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14 NARRATIVE OF I:MPRISON}I~NT.

with remorse, on the fearful results ofhis own

murderous deed, the Priests, who have nosocial tie to restrain them, no natural affec-tions that can relent, and perhaps are without:my faith beyond the instinct of selfishnessand thirst for vengeance--these Priests flung

remorse to the winds, and set themselves tosearch for more victims.

"Mora, the infidel, the apostate, the im-pious, the liberal, the revolutionary, the pes-tilential heretic, that child of Satan; he thatwas educated among us, that was one of our-selves, and was once under our orders; thatProtestant, whom at one time we regarded asone of our best advocates, but who is now so

criminal, and so perverse; that infamous prop-agator of the Bible, the book which condemns

us when our notes are not interpreted by thatunwearied persecutor of the Holy Father, andof the holy, humble, slandered, poor, disin-

terested, and inoffensive Company-the Com-pany that is Christian by excellence, and ofall other fraternities the chief; persecutor ofthe most eminent and most laborious Jesuits,from Loyola of anresa until our times-Mora

must be the first victim I"It is agreed, then, that thi infamous apo .


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THE COUP D'ETAT. 15

tate shall disappear from the face of the earth.

And there is nothing more easy to be managed.You Jesuits have a terrible association at yourcommand that is quite ready to make waywith him. The Government that toleratedhim is annihilated. The constitution which,

to a considerable extent, guaranteed his safety,ceases to exist; constitution and liberty havepassed away together. His friends are dis-persed, or they are preparing for banishment,or they are doomed to be tenants of dark

dungeons; and it is Dot likely that one whohas informed the people of so many of yourcabals and sacrilegious doings, will escapefrom your power. You can avail yourself of

this anti-Christian carnival, and under yourhypocritical, yet faded, mask you can perse-cute him, and wreak your vengeance on him.But you must lose no time. You can com-mit all sorts of iniquity just so long as your

day lasts; but there is another day coming,the day of enlightened society, the day ofthe Lord. He will not linger, but will comeas a thief in the night.


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IV.

MY ARREST.

ABOUTeight o'clock in the evening, on the27th of August, a little more than forty daysafter the coup d'etat, I left my house to take awalk, and enjoy the conversation of a fewfriends, after having spent the day alone in

literary labor.I reached the Prado, and was reflecting on

an article I had written on the controversybetween the Unioers of Paris, and the Ami dela Religion. The subject so entirely absorbed

my thoughts, that, instead of taking the lessfrequented walk, where we were accustomedto meet during the hot season, I turned off inthe opposite direction, into the Paseo de Paris,

where the youth and elegance of the Courtare wont to assemble. With my head some-what inclined, and looking thoughtfully down-wards, I met a party of five or six men; and,just as I was attempting to make my way

between them, received a heavy blow of astick on my head, nd instantly others follow-ed, with a cry of "Al criminal I al erim 'n tl"


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MY ARREST. 1 7

I was half stunned at the moment j butwhen the assassin, as I thought him to be,seized me by the collar, I recovered sufficient-ly to say, "Have you done beating me?"" Yes, Sir." "Do you know me ?" I con-

tinued. " Yes, Sir," he replied. " Then thatis more than I can say of you." Holding meby the collar, he merely said, "Come withme;" and, others helping him, they draggedme away, bruised my legs against a stone seat

which lay in the path, and, not looseningtheir hold for a moment, dragged me throughthe Prado with yet greater violence than atfirst. I perceived a young officerat my side,with some other persons who gathered aroundand followed; and the officer kept a firmgrasp of the hilt of his sword.

.As soon as I could at all recover my recol-lection, I thought that the AAl3j]antmust be

one of the secret police, and that he h ad at-tacked me for my libe 1 opinions: and thenagain1fancied he must have mistaken me forsome murderer, or other criminal.

Smarting from a heavy blow that had nearly

broken my jaw, with my head and face ingreat pain, and with a dislocated finger of myright hand, which I had raised to cover my


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18 NARRATIVE OF nIPRISONME..~T.

face, I kept silence as they led me to the of-fice of the Civil Governor, inwardly thankingGod that my hat and my wounded hand hadsaved my head from being broken.

The second thought which occurred to my-

self-and I afterwards heard that many per-sons in the Prado had the same-was, thatthe Jesuits must certainly have been at thebottom of the affair.

When we reached the civil court, and theypresented me to one who acted for the Gover-nor, I said, "This gentleman;' (meaning theman who first assaulted me,}-" although Ido not know whether it was one or more, for

many blows were laid on me with astonish.ing rapidity-this gentleman, who has beatenme and brings me before you, must knowwhy. I have been here amongst you as apublic writer for the last two years; my work

on the Jesuits has been commended in theGazette; everything I have done has beendone openly, and no tribunal has ever med-(liedwith me." " Well, then," said the person

to whom they had brought me, "and whyhave they beaten you?" On this the manwho had eized me said something in a low

i hi h ith I t k


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:MY.!BREST. 19

who stood by could hear. The Governorthen replied, addressing the assailant and mykeepers, "I have nothing to do with thiscase ; it belongs to another tribunal. Takehim to the Vicar General."

Here I must observe, that when we cameinto the light of the office,where I could seethe person who had attacked me on the Prado,I found that he was nephew of a Canon,

Secretary to the Archbishop, and supposed tobe the son of another Canon who died, I knownot how. He is aperson well-known inMadridas Dn. Juan Leon. He is now a clerk of theEcclesiastical Court, called" the Tribunal of

the Faith," or, in other words, of the Inquisi-tion, which, notwithstanding its abolition inthe year 1834, was then succeeded by thisTribunal, * which was revived once more inJuly last, amidst the roar of cannon.

On hearing that I was to be taken to theVicar General, I replied. again: "But thisman has ill-treated me in the most cowardlymanner, in a manner unworthy of a Oastil-

lian--" Interrupting me, the Governorcoolly said: "Well, very well, you can settlethat with him somewhere else, after all this is


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20 NARRATIVE OF IMPRISONMEKT.

over." "Many thanks," said 1. "Now,

gentlemen, let us go to the Vicar."I bade the Governor good night. He knew

me well j for he was a writer of the party

now in power, and a brother of his had

studied philosophy with me. With the two

guards and my assailant for escort, I went to

the house of the Most Excellent and Most

illustrious Dn. Julian de Pando.

As we proceeded, I begged them to do me

the favor to call at the office of the Discussion,which lay almost in our way, that I mighttell the editor, and Deputy in Corte, Don

Nicolas Ribero, or the manager, if he were

not there, that I had fallen into the hands of

these "holy men," and beg him to send amessage to my wife, to let her know that I

should not be at home until late, and so setthe family at ease. But the only answer from

one of the guards was, "No, Sir j go on." I

went on, and said nothing. When we were

near the street, one of the guards asked the

Familiar who conducted us, where Senor

Pando lived j but this dependent of the

Tribunal took several turns, like one who

had lost his way, and at last brought us to a

spot made memorable by a hostile enooun r


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:M Y ARREST. 21

between Senor Pando and another ecclesiastic,where they had once a hard fight. 4-nEnglish gentleman, who lives near the resid-ence of the Vicar, was an eye-witness of thescene.

It was ten o'clock at night within a fewminutes, when our Familiar asked the porterwhether Mr. Vicar lived there.

"Yes, Sir."

" Is he at home T ""No, Sir."

" When will he come ?"" I do not know.""Do you know at what hour he usually

comes home T ""He ha s no fixed hour. Some nights he

comes at eleven or half-past, and some nightsat half-past one or later."

The guards, rather put out of humor on

hearing at what unseasonable hours his MostIllustrious was accustomed to retire to rest,told me that I might sit down on a stonebench on the wall, and the porter invited meto take a chair; but although, after the blowsI had uffer d, and all I had gone throuchduring the last two hours, weary and feverish

I wr it would have been SOl comfort


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get a seat, I thanked the kind and attentive

Castilian-for we Castiliansknow each otherby the pronunciation of our province, whichdiffersfrom that of other parts of Spain-and

offered it to the guards; but they preferred

to stand, doubtless that they might keep

me safe, and so we all remained standingtogether.

The officeof the Discussion being less than

half a mile distant, and I very anxious about

my family, and knowing at what late hoursthe Vicar was accustomed to come home, Irepeated my request that they would do me

the favor of accompanyingme to the office,orwould permit me to send a message to my

own house, which was nearer; but this reoquest also was denied by the guard. Who

this man was I do not know j but the other,who is a liberal, and whom I wen knew,

looked on me with an expression of com.

passion,After we had waited about half an hour,

the Vicar came,bade us good night as he en.

tered, and, almostwithout staying to look atus, as if he already understood the wholeafl3.ir, and had hurried home before his timedesired us te walk up stairs. We went up;


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MY ARREST. 23

and were shown into a hall. After the

pause of a few seconds, I standing between

the guards, and the Vicar opposite,he began

to deliver a somewhat rude and passionate

harangue, with violent gesticulations. The

followingwere his very words,aswe all heardthem:

" I have been looking out for you the lastyear and a half, Mora. Now Providence hasput you into our hands-not my hands, but

ours.""Ithas brought me," I answered,with the

calmness which never forsook me, "to (he

garrote."More furious than ever, and gesticulating

yet more violently, he continued thus: " Youhave written that wicked and sacrilegious

book against the Jesuits. Yea, Sir, yes, Sir;

you have written against the Pope, and

against our holy religion, and you are aProtestant, and you have married. Repent,Sir, repent, retract. The Lord requires it ofyou-Jesus Christ, God requires it. I begyou., Mora, as father of lost souls." The e ; .

and a few other words, harsher still, were themildest things he said to me. In reply,. I

said, while we were all standing: "Will Ott


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have the kindness to tell me if you have

finished ?"" Yes, Sir j I have finished," said he. I

then replied:"Certainly, I am a Protestant, and have

been so for many years, as you are wellaware. And that you may better understandwhat 'Protestant' means, it signifies Catholic(lhristiasv ; a Christian of the Church of Jesus,not the Church of the Popes. Thus, then, I

am a Protestant. I have written against thedoctrines, practices, and tactics of the sons ofLoyola, against the Papacy, against Romeand the religion which Rome professes,whichis not Christianity. I have married according

to the GospeL I have nothing to retract, ab-solutely nothing. I have written, and, as longas I can, will continue to write, against Romeand the Jesuits j and if a thousand burningsthreatened me, I would not cease to be a

Catholic Christian, nor would I desist fromwriting against the enemies of the doctrine of:Je us Christ. As for the rest, from the year1854 to 1856, while I have been here among

you, inhabitants of Madrid, I have writtenand spoken publicly j I have lived peaceablyia my home, and suppose there is no literary


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MY ARREST. 25

man in Madrid who has not a perfect know

ledge of my conduct. Among other friends,there are some of the Ministers who havegoverned Spain who know me intimately-one, especially, knew me when I was a child-and a large number of Deputies in Cortes,and among them some with whom I havebeen incommunication nearly every day, andhave often been seen with them in the mostpublic places. The liberal press, too, hastaken great notice of the numbers of my workon the Jesuits which have been issued, and ofmyself also."

Here I forgot to mention a remarkable

incident, that while I was in America, theypublished in a newspaper, and on a hand-bill,which was largely circulated, that Mora andhis wife, and, in the absence of Mora, an oldfriend of his, gave lessons in dancing, etc.,adding the number of my house. Dr. Rulestill possesses a printed copy of that hand-

bill.

I leave the reader to imagine the foolishthings which the Vicar General said and didafter listening to my calm reply. He drove me

from his house with contempt and anger, andsent me back to the Civil Governor, himself


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going, meanwhile, to inform the Government

of what had taken place with "the contum-

acious heretic."

Between the two guards, with the Familiar

leading, I went down stairs again. When

we reached the street, the Familiar commandedus to wait there, and went back to confer with

his Chief, whose residence and person he had

just before pretended not to know. On

seeing this, I suspected that a plan had been

previously contrived j and, if I had thenknown, as I afterwards knew, that the man

who assaulted me was a dependent of the

Vicar in the Holy Office, I should not merely

have suspected, but have been quite cer-

tain.

When the Familiar came down again, the

liberal guard placed himself at my side, and

we three marched away together from the

house of the semi-Pontiff to that of theGovernor, who was then Don Manuel Alonzo

Martinez. There they left; me in a sort of

hall, and all eyes were immediately fixed

upon me, especially by some whose opinions

are enti-Romish,I asked for pen and ink, to send my wife a

few lines, as it had grown very late, and she


32/183

:MY ARREST. 27

would certainly be surprised at my keepingsuch bad hours as the Vicar..A man who was standing opposite, looking

downcast and sad, instantly brought mewriting materials. The name of this good

man I can not give without exposing him todanger, but may say that he proved a faithfulcompanion in time of trouble ... Never shall Iforget him, although his name, like that ofmany others, as well as many affecting inter-

views which passed between us, must neces-sarily be omitted. It would not be possible

to describe the diligence and heartiness withwhich he labored to serve me in those hours

of sorrow, nor the consolation his tender careafforded me. I wrote to my wife as follows:

"My DEAREST ELOYSA:

"I am detained at the house of the Civil

Governor, and am inthe hands of the Jesuits.Do not fear. The consequence of my misfor-tune will only be, that the complete triumphof the religious principles I profess will be ac-

celerated." ANGEL."

One of the hangers-on of the place took myletter and after a short time bro ght it back


33/183

28 N ARRATIYE OF IMPRISONMENT.

again, and desired me to blot out what I hadwritten about the Jesuits, "because," said he,"the Governor commands it." I drew asingle line through the words, and gave himthe letter. Half an hour afterwards they

summoned me to the office of the represent-ative of the Governor, that is, the Secretary,

whom Ihad seen before.Iwent, and found only the Vicar General

with him. As for the man who had attackedme on the Prado like an assassin, they haddismissed him to sleep at ease in his ownhouse, without a word of rebuke. The Sec-retary bade me sit down, but not without

turning to the Vicar, and saying:"If

youplease." Isat down in a corner of the room,on (I, wooden stool, and there remained oppo-

site the two.The Vicar repeated what he had said in his

own house, in presence of the two guards andthe Familiar. I also repeated what Ihad

there said; and then, after some flattering ex-pressions, concerning my "good capacity,"and so on, he delivered a philippic, such as avillage schoolmaster might have addressedto any obstinate and naughty school-boy. Formy part, with greater force than before, but


34/183

MY ARREST. 29

with equal calmness, I reiterated my protest jand then added: "Here you have me, and

you may cut me up in any way you please"

(Tajen y corien. po?" donde lee parece)-a very

significant expression with us. " I do not re-

tract, and I never will retract." The Vicar

flew ina passion again, and when his fury

had subsided, the Secretary turned to him,

and said: "That is a miserable fellow." The

Secretary thus expressed himself before theVicar j but I knew at the time that he did

not wish to injure me j and his conduct after-

wards confirmed my opinion of him. Indeed,

he had already said, when speaking of the

Jesuits, that he thought of them just as I did,although he had studied with them.

I did not open my mouth in reply to that

hard speech of the Secretary, but said: "I am

a peacable and industrious man, as you know j

but, even ifI were the worst of criminals, no

one has any right to lay hands upon me, not

even the officers of justice, and much less to

attack me insuch a cowardly manner, and in

the most public walk of the city."The Secretary said to me: "You may ask

for the punishment of the person who

k b f i l dd d


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to the Governor." "And what," added the

Vicar, "do you desire should be done tohim?"

I replied to both: "I do not ask, either withmemorial or without it, for the man to be

pnnished; nor do I wish, Mr. Vicar, that anything at all should be done to him. Youvery well know that I could have punishedhim myself; and soundly too: I have courageand strength enough for that and more. All

this you know; but, Mr. Vicar, I a m , aboveevery thing, a Christian, and therefore I for-give him with all my heart. That poor, sim-ple fellow is less to be blamed than others,whom also I forgive."

Again the Vicar became exceedingly irrit-ated, and commanded that I should be keptin close custody; but that in consideration ofwho I was, and so forth, it should be in a de-cent apartment.

I had felt sick, as I have already said, fromthe moment that the Familiar first made hisRomano-Jesuitical attack; and interruptinghis rage, or perhaps it should be said, endi'ng

it, I rose and said: "Mr. Secretary, wheneveryou please, I am at your service. I ron veryweary and have need of rest,"


36/183

"THE SALOON." 31

" Let them take you down to the Saloon,"answered the Secretary. "Yes, yes," criedthe Vicar, "down to the Saloon, and in safecustody, until I dispose of him." I bade themgood night, and two policemen took me down

a narrow stairway into the Saloon.

v.

" THE SALOON."

THIS Saloon is a dungeon, deep under-grouncl Close by it were four open drains,

where the stench, especially in those days ofextreme heat, was excessive, while the filththat ran into them from all parts of the build-ing made the dark passage that led to it al-most impassable. One filthy mat, emitting a

pestilential smell, covered the floor of thedungeon, and another covered a large bench,or bed-place of mason work lined with wood.One of the walls, down which the wet was

trickling, was perforated with two extremelydirty windows, opening into pits sunk fromthe pavement, and the glass was all broken,

with no possibility of closing them


37/183

32 NARRATIVE OF IMPRISOIDfENT.

All the furniture of this place was a brokenlantern, which the jailer lit when it pleased

him j and what with the open drains, and the

collection of :filth from other sources through

inattention, that wretched abode became a

deadly place. It is there there that criminalsare commonly confined; and it is called the

place of "detention," because they usually re-

main there no longer than twenty-four hours,

until transferred to the public prison.

In this dungeon, where the guards, who areusually old soldiers, repeatedly told me that

they could not remain over two days without

great risk of health, I was kept four nights

and three days.

When I took possession of this commodious

Saloon, as the Vicar called it, I saw three

guards, and the turnkey of the dungeon.

But here I must remark, that these men were

almost all Liberals at that time; they werelovers of the people, and during the coup

d'etat did not bear arms against them, but

fought against tyranny with the people: but

the O'Donnell Government, everywhere sur-

rounded with enemies, could not find men to

8ul'ply their places, and therefore left themwhere they were.


38/183

"THE SALOON." 33

Suffering great pain in my head and face,in the dislocated finger-which still painsme-and the right side of my lower jaw be-ing greatly bruised and inflamed,Iasked fora Burgeon, and begged to have a mattress

brought me from home.The guards, and even the turnkey himself,

who now understood all about me, treated mewith the greatest respect and consideration,and, so far as they could, diminished the sev-erity of all the Vicar's orders, and they com-plied with my request. The surgeon came,examined me, and said he would give me acertificate whenever it should be called for.

An hour afterwards, asIwas pacing to andfro alone, and abandoned to my reflections,my wife herself came into the dungeon, ac-companied by a friend of mine, and a servant,with the bed, and a little linen, as much as

she could get permission to bring in. Shecame inspite of the Vicar's orders; for theservants of the Government sympathized withus. What expressions were exchanged, in

presence of the guards, between two personswho love each other so tenderly, in that :firstinterview, it is not easy to reI te o

"Ve both endeavored to encourage one an


39/183


other. I sank down overwhelmed, and she,

weeping and in agony, reiterated this entreaty:" Have courage, my A.ngel, never retract" Butshe could not refrain from fearing the worst."They will kill you," said she j "they will

poison you. You know those dreadful menbetter than I do, and you know they willpoison you, and then persecute us, until wedie of grief Yet," said she, "you have manyfriends, who, although they are now fallen,

will interest themselves in your behalf, con-sidering what may yet happen. Many haveleft Madrid, but some remain, and I will goand see them."

I answered her, sorrowfully, indeed: "My

daughter,* I am in the power of the Jesuits.Those men have no country, no social tie jthey care not if Spain, the throne and the peo-ple all perish together, and if they who gavethem being die the first. When their daycomes,they act as ifthere were no to-morrow jyet at other times they are most cautious.

When I came back to Spain by way of Nav-~nTP,I met, near the French frontier, six of

them in one inn, apparently persons of conse

* Hija mia, a term of familiar endearment.


40/183

"THE SALOON." 35

quence, and just three days before the revolu-tion, ready for whatever might happen; andthey abandoned Spain, leaving the country tobe drowned in its own blood. These menhave now more influence than my friends be-

lieve. Such power they have had from theday when a celebrated Father of the Companycame to the Palace, and when an elevated per-sonage said to me: 'I fear that the Court isunder their influence; for the King Consort, as

you know, and asall Spain knows, is ChiefandPresident of the Congregation of young menof St. Louis Gonzaga.'* IfEngland and theUnited States do not interfere for the sake ofhumanity alone, and break through the bar-barous Inquisitorial laws which they can nowrevive again without any Constitution and anylaws, except their own caprice, no one can saveme. However, do what you can; go and

speak to our friends."I then remembered a reply which the Vicar

made me before the Secretary of the Govern-ment. When I had said in answer to one ofhis questions: "I have always travelled with

a Spanish passport, taken at this Government

* .A fumous Jesuit, who died in If>92, and was beatified


41/183


House, and I was in Spain under the safe-

guard of the' Basis' of the Constitution," theVicar quickly rejoined, " There is no Oonstitu-

tion~othing of the sort." "Indeed," said I,

" to this day the Government has not anulled

it."* "No, no," continued the Vicar, "there

is neither Basis nor Constitution now."My wife left that filthy sty in such a state

of mind as anyone may imagine, whose heart

has not been cast in the mould of Loyola.

My friend stood motionless, like a statue, un-

able to articulate a word.

At six o'clock in the morning she left

Madrid for Aranjuez, in order to apply to a

personage whom I must not name, a gentle-

man of excellent heart and high qualities.This good gentleman received her with the

same kindness and deference which he had

always shown to myself.

I knew that, whatever help the Lord might

send me, it must come from abroad j andwhile my wife was running in one direction,

her good mother took her pen, and wrote to

on~ who kD.ows as thoroughly as the most

'" This con\"eraation took place on the 27th of August.:rhe Constitution W88 annulled by a Royal Decree in Sep-tember.


42/183

It THE SALOON." 3 7

intelligcnt Spaniard can know, what are the

Inquisitorial manoeuvres in my country. Shc

told all that had happened to Dr. Rule, who

had always possessed the direct and immedi-

ate confidence of certain persons in Spain, in

regard to all their labors for promoting thcreligious welfare of the country.

As for me, I lay buried in thought, until

the morning of the day following, when I

sent for one of the dependents of the Govern-

ment' and said to him: "I have reason tofear, and I do not speak without consider-

ation-that I shall be poisoned. Therefore,

if my wife's mother, and she alone, does not

bring me food, I will take none; absolutely

none."

It was then eight o'clock, and I believe the

Vicar was yet in bed, taking repose after the

pious labors of the preceding night; but he

granted my petition, his orders not havingyet been carried to their utmost severity.

My mother-in-law soon came with a ser-

vant, and brought my breakfast. Again there

were some distressing passages in this scene;

for it was most painful to let one of the bestof mothers-more than seventy years of age


43/183


-know that her son was brought into such

a situation.What with the weeping of mistress and

maid, and the troubled countenance of the

guard, (who were relieved every two hours,

and were required to observe and report all

that passed within the dungeon,) I had hardwork to take a little nourishment-my keeper

disposed of the remainder; and my mother-

in-law went to ask permission to bring a bed,

and some other articles of furniture. This

petition was refused, and my damp mattress

had still to serve for bed, chair, and table.

To occupy myself a little, and beguile my

thoughts, although the guard was always

present, I fell to reading aloud the proof sheetsof an article which I had written against the

abuses of Rome and the Jesuits. But my

head would not bear it, and I laid the paper

under my pillow again, not without some dis-

appointment to my guard, who had listenedwith pleasure and assent, as most Spaniards

listen when those men are attacked who have

oppressed, and still oppress them.

The Vicar had not caused me to be search-

ed; for perhaps he had feared lest he should

find his capital enemy, the Bible, on my per-


44/183

IITHE SALOON." 39

son. I had in my pocket the only volumethat could alleviate my sorrows. I had -a NewTestament, which a very pious person, oneworthy of the highest estimation, had sentfrom England for my little boy. Not to give

up my established custom, I read it to theguard; and he cheerfully listened to hear thedoctrine of a book which he had only heardmumbled over in bad Latin, and worse read-ing, for many years. He had long abandoned

the routine of going to the churches to yawn,killtime, or take a nap-for he never under-stood a word spoken by the Ministers in theirbarbarous language, as St. Paul would call it.

After this I took some food with compar-ative comfort j and, sometimes shut up alone,and sometimes with a guard, passed the day.At night my mother-in-law came, but I could

take nothing.

During the night two friends came; one amilitary officer,whose high rank secured himadmission by the guards, and the other a pol-itical personage. Others were less fortunate,and had to remain outside. That the guardmight not understand us, we conversed inFrench, enumerating the difficulties whichlay in the way of my liberation and agreeing


45/183


that help should be sought from abroad, it

being certain that every effort made inSpainwould be nullified by the Clergy, who hadnow the management of the country in theirhands. Our rulers were now the very samepersons to whom the liberal press attributedthe late incendiary fires in Castile.

Next day, notwithstanding I had the symp-toms of a nervous fever, and had taken nofood, I went to be examined. I spoke under

the impression that I was before the civil au-thority; otherwise I should not have an-swered.

VI.

MY ANTECEDENTS.

BEFORE coming to a new confession of thecrimes against Jesuitism and Popery of whichI was accused, I must premise a brief state-ment of some facts necessary to be known forthe better understanding of what follows.

A profoundly religious feeling and love of

virtue and literature never left me at any pe-riod of my life, amidst the errors of youth ormanhood, I could read when I was four


46/183

MY ANTECEDENTS. 41

years old, and kept at the head of the class

in my:first school, as my master, who is yetalive, can testify j and, although his ideas arealtogether contrary to mine, he still speaks ofme 3.,S his favorite pupil. When I studied

Latin in the College of the Esculapians,* Iwas always first, except once, when my fel-low-student, Ciscar, took the place for a quar-ter of an hour. :MyProfessors are still alive,and in Madrid. Never was there a more un-

ruly boy, nor ever one more punctual in get-ting absolution for his boyish misdemeanors

at the feet of a confessor.When in my sixteenth year, I found my-

selfin

the (Dominican) College of AsiaticMissions, but not by my own wish. Theytold me there that they who represented Godin the world would be careful to guide mysoul, and that I might go on with confidence,

until I should win the mystic Paradise ofLoyola.t As at that age I was not the best

* Regular Clergy, whose occupation consists in teachingthe Escuelas Pias, or Elementary Schools of Spanish and

Latin,t The Director of this Institution was not a Jesuit, but (\Dominican. This order has always been strongly opposed

to the Jesuits, yet they agree in tho funt:lstic asceticism of


47/183


Ilualified to judge of such an offer, Iobeyed,

and went, and applied myself so earnestly toattain the chimerical felicity of their contem-

plative life, that had Igone much further,

they might have sent me to a madhouse tofind it there.

One of their fraternity took the direction of

my soul; and what with his counsels and my

exaggerated penances, in half a dozen years I

was completely unnerved. My body, too,

suffered so much under the mortifications.which Iapplied to it, including extremely

rough hair shirts, that it still bears many

scars, as the Doctor, whom the Tribunal sent

to visit me, discovered. Although Idid not

fail to earn as much applause as formerly foradvancement in learning, a medical man, who,

fully understood my case, certified, at 1\ time

when all could see that Iwas far from being

in good health, that Iwas sometimes attacked

with an affection of the head, which, if not

removed, might at some time end inincurablemadness.

Having returned home with leave of ab-

I.oyola; and the General of the Dominicans lately support-

ed the Jesuits in ask ing for the Papal confirmation of theioctrine of the Immacu la te C o n o e P ' l o D .


48/183

:MY ANTECEDENTS. 43

sence, I remained there a considerable time,

in doubt whether Ishould not lose my senses,

daily afflicted with fits and swimmings of the

head, and haunted with serious doubts con-

cerning the proud and meritless religion of

Rome.The friendship of a learned Jansenist; well

known in Madrid, Don Pedro Sainz de Bar-

anda, Member of the Spanish Academy of

History, soothed my conscience; and this

was the principal cause of my passing from

depth to depth, until the termination of my

ecclesiastical career. But I continued only a

few months under the influence of J ansenism;

for, by comparing its doctrines with those ofthe Bible, with which I had been familiar

from the time that I began to study theology,

I altogether abandoned the clerical profession,

and applied myself to the study and teaching

of philosophy.Henceforth I was a Protestant. From that

moment I abjured till belief in Rome, hersystem, and her doctrines; but, as I was en-

tirely occupied in teaching philosophy, the

Jesuits thought nothing more of me j and

there were many other wandering sheep who,

like myself had forsaken the deadly path


49/183


Before becoming a professor, attached to

the section of Philosophical Sciences, in theUniversity of Madrid, I had published a com-pendium of philosophy, adapted to a pro-gramme of the Government; and there, whiletreating of morals and religion, had put forthsome views which might offend the systemand doctrines of the Church of Rome. TheCouncil not only let them pass, but my com-pendium was recommended, under the sanc-

tion of a Royal Order, to be adopted in theestablishments of instruction; yet, notwith-standing this, I had propounded the doctrine,then sanctioned by the Government, that en-tire obedience is due to the Pope.

I did not then know the family of Loyolasufficiently to form an exact judgment ofthem, although I entertained a settled dislikeof their doctrines. Subsequently, when Iwas Professor of Philosophy in the Polytech-nic College, where there was an assemblageof aristocracy and wealth, and I had acquireda more intimate knowledge of Jesuitism, Iventured to tell the head of the establishment,

in writing, that I should retire, assigning asmy reason that the instruction and the methodwere essentially Jesuitical. The Director of


50/183

MY ANTECEDENTS. 45

the College wrote against my little Treatise

on Philosophy, and it was disposed of at his

pleasure. The consequence was, 'that not a

hundred copies were sold inSpain, except in

the Universities, Colleges, and Institutes, al-

though it was reccommended, in preferenceto every other, for use in the Schools of Prim-

ary Instruction.

Then it was that the Jesuits fixed on me;

and then I entered on the course which con-

ducted me to the place out of which I have

lately escaped. Publicly and privately I

continued to manifest my aversion to Rome

by. word of mouth and in writing, but with

moderation, and without noise. The Academy of Instruction, Primary, Elementary, and

Superior, had a gratuitous Chair of Morals

and Religion; and while I occupied this

Chair, I always took the New Testament for

my text-book, and saw amongst my auditorya multitude of persons, most of them older

than myself who were preparing to be them-

selves teachers; and I then perceived the

long established tactics of Jesuitism infight-

ing against the Bible. Manifestations of

hostility, trifling in themselves, yet sufficient

to show that much worse might be expected


51/183


induced me to relinquish the post, rather than

be drawn into open conflict.Political reaction grew stronger and strong-

der, and the influence of the Clergy was grad-

ually rising to the pitch which it has now

attained.

Circumstances led to the partnership of

myself and a Canon of considerable influence

in the management of a literary enterprize.

The Canon and I went on most harmoniously,

until he endeavored to impose a conditionupon me, to which I could not consent, from

a conviction that it was unjust j and then theJesuit furies were let loose upon me, and my

own experience taught me, more clearly than

ever, the character of the Rornish Clergy andthe Jesuits.

In the year 1850, when the reaction was

almost at its height, the Vicar General then

in office, being a fit person to follow out the

views of that party, called me, after sevenyears had elapsed from the time of my firstprotest, to return to the Church of Rome j buthe found it impossible to effect his object.

The persecution was then terrible but the

means which were employed to bring meback had no other effect than to drive me


52/183

MY ANTECEDENTS. 47

from my country; however, I did not leave

it without giving him previous notice, andobtaining a regular passport from the Gov-

ernment.During those days of trial, two incidents

occurred which I cannot pass over withoutnotice. The first was, that a person made

his way into my house with intent to takemy life, and, in order to defend myself, I had

to make stout resistance. This person was no

nephew of one of the first EcclesiasticalAu-thorities. About the same time occurred the

other, which was far more serious j so serious

that I never fully recovered from its effects.

Some say that it was an attack of spasmodiccolic. I said, on the first appearance of the

symptoms,that I was poisoned. My partner,the Canon,must have thought it a very severe

and peculiar kind of colicj for while I was in

bed, without saying a word to me, as ifthink-ing I should depart to another' world, hebrought nolawyer-a friend, who has knownme from my childhood-to take possessionof

the literary property of which I was the prin-

cipal proprietor. By means of the bathswhich are used in cases of poisoning, with

other remedies,I recoveredfrom that attack ;


53/183


but it brought me very near death, and from

its effectsI have never been quite free.Once out of Spain, I attached myself to

Protestantism, and to this moment have notswerved from that profession. In Bordeauxespecially I attended the meetings of MM. La

Harpe and Douesnel. InLondon I was mar-ried in a Protestant church. My wife's heartand conscience have always been entirely inunison with my own, and we entered mycountry with our child Henry, and withher mother, under the protection of liberalopinions, of toleration, and of many excellentfriends.

So long as the liberal party was inpower

we lived inpeace. I have spoken and writtenpublicly, spread Protestant truths without res-traint and without concealment, and been atthe same time connected with persons of thehighest rank, who know me intimately, and

who know' how much I have suffered, andwhat Jesuitical means have been employed onvarious OCC3Sionsto destroy my reputation,my usefulness.and my life.


54/183

CONFESSION OF THE TRUTH. 49

VII.

CONFESSION OF THE TRUTH

.AFTER undergoing an Interrogatory accord-

ing to the prescribed form, I repeated my

protest for the third time, in writing, and with

my signature appended. It was to this

effect:

"I am a Catholic Christian. That is to

say, I am a Protestant. I have been so ever

since I reached the age at which I could judge

for myself with confidence, free from bias or

coercion, and could fully estimate the respon-

sihility that I assumed before God and man.

"I am a Protestant, for I have written

against the Institution of Loyola. I have

married in conformity with the Gospel ofJesus, and inconformity with the true Church.And I again affirm that the Church of Rome

is not the Church of Jesus, but is in error. I

do not now expound the reasons on which

I rest, as I have rested hitherto, for believing

and doing as I have believed and done.

I!I have obeyed God and him will I obey


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rather than men, whether those men be called

Bishops or Popes.

HI therefore add, that if it be necessary for

me to suffer martyrdom, that I may give

testimony to these things, here am I-you

have me in your hands.

"ANGEL HERREROS DE MORA."

The Interrogatory itself was too trifling to

merit a record, and it was protracted by a

dialogue with myoId fellow-professor, theVicar. Politics furnished one part of the

accusation: but I supposed that, as the Gov-

ernment respected my opinions, I need not

be at the trouble of repeating them, but

confined myself entirely to the principal mat-ter in which we were engaged, which wasnligion.

The Interrogatory being ended, I returned

to the dungeon, under the usual escort. I had

not long been there when a gentleman of

high rank, a foreigner, came to see me. N ot-

withstanding the orders they had received,

the guards kept so far at a distance, that they

co~d not hear what we said, speaking inawhisper, or a very low voice. With my hopealways :fixed on SUc c o r from abroad, we con-


56/183


versed, or perhaps I should rather say that I

spoke without ceasing, of England and the

United States, leaving France quite out of the

question. The visits of this gentleman were

a great comfort to me.

.Afterthe gentlemanleft me,the rusty, brok-en, glasslesslantern WM lit up, and I began toaddressthe guards. All, except one, of whomI shall speak presently, I found quite readyto hear, and to show me great respect, kind-

ness, and attention, even to their own hazard.Indeed, they had to suffer on my account;

the Vicar had some of them arrested, and

otherswere removed and sent to do dutyelse-

where; but, in the teeth of threatenings andpunishment, and the horrid state of the dun-

geon, I always found them disposed to em-brace my doctrine and to alleviate my suf.

ferings.

While speaking to the guard on the doc-trine of the Gospel,there was a call at thedungeon door. Itwas my mother-in-law,

who, after having attempted tb bring me adinner without success, now brought me

supper.Soon after, and I know not how, another

friend found his way to me. This was a


57/183


public writer. We three talked together for

a short time on the, attempts that might bemade on my behalf; but my friend heard,without seeming to urge any of them, and Imyself knew that all such attempts would bevain, and expected that there would be no-thing for me but death, probably by poison.

They both left me, as did the guard; and,after adjusting my bed, I tried to sleep, butin vain. Fever, the thought ofall my family,

the remembrance of that "colic," of 'I'ournon,of Ganganelli, and of others, whose labors,agonies, and deaths I had depicted in mybook, drove away sleep; and, between dreamyslumbers and wakeful horrors, I lay till day.

That morning my wife came between twoservants of the Government. . A . i3 soon as Isaw her from my bed, I begged her, in French,to speak low; for I read inher countenance

the result of her mission. Some little good

there was, but-the influence of the Jesuits?He who came from France, she said, and theKing Oonsorf, his protector and brother IStrong must be the arm that would dare to

turn aside that hand which heavier andheavier, weighed down upon ~e, aggravatingthe horrors of my situation; and none could


58/183


presume to attempt to help me without expos

ing himself to the greatest danger. I imploredher to be silent. She wept, she wiped away

her tears, and in turn she tried to comfort me.

They left me alone, and then was I in it

worse condition than ever. The judge hadseen my declaration. The orders were made

more and more stringent, and the command

was given to remove me, and absolutely to

refuse access to every person.

The guard had left me. My pains in-creased, and the pestiferous damp of the place

now soaked my bed.

My poor child begged to see his papa be-

fore he got into the hands of those "holy

men!" The little fellow, much more talk-

ative than we could wish, came with his

grandmother, ran to my bed-place, caught me

by my neck, and cried, Papa mio I los Jesuitas

t . 3 van a matar. Yo pido a Dios que no te maten,"My papa, the Jesuits are going to kill thee.

I pray God the.y may not kill thee." And

this was all he could say; for at the last wordthe child's speech failed, and he could notarticu-

late a word distinctly for some days afterwards.Alexander YI. would not have understood

a scene like this; nor would those who telU"


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54 NARRATIVE OF BIPRISONMENT.

out of the New Testament the words, Unius

' IJ .X ()7 "is vir, filios hobens, "Husband of onewife, having children." But the scene wasover; and now the door opened, and in cameabruptly one of my attendants in disguise,to have a little chat with me on politics, asanother had done before, that he might getme to talk against the Vicar, the Polacos, and

the Jesuits..As for the first, Ipunished him by reading

a chapter out of the New Testament; butthis one Imortified by marked contempt.He began to read newspapers in a loud voice,and Ibegged him to lower his tone, becauseIwas very sick. The Vicar had "Sentorders to

the crows in masks, at the place whence Iafterwards escaped, to take me into theirconvent prison, and he wished to knowwhether Iwas ready to receive his visit, andhear what he had to say.

My dear wife seemed as if she multipliedhel. ' presence, and was to he found every-where, exposing herself 'by means unknownto me, to the greatest peril. A voice in French,

through the key-hole of the dungeon door,fell ~ my -ear: ~{Do not speak. Thatfbllow is a s ln ' r ro , " (that is a spy.)


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VICAR PANDO. 55

VIII.

VICAR PANDO.

A FEW moments afterwards the sbirro

walked away, and the Vicar, with an officerof rank belonging to the Government, enter-ed the" Saloon," where he had commandedthem to place me. I lay in a most profuseperspiration, to which, perhaps, my life wasowing.

The Vicar, without cloak or hat, incap andcassock, addressed me thus: "Good day,Mora." "Good day, Pando," answered I.

He then made me listen to a set harangue,delivered ina very loud voice, which I inter-rupted with a request that he would reserve itfor some better occasion, saying that my headwould not bear it, that his strong voice pained

the drums of my ears, and that I had passeda very bad night. " Indeed he has," said theofficer, "a very bad night." However, theVicar continued his premeditated speech j andat the end of it he placed himself upon hisknees, and, stretching out his arms, said, byway of conclusion: "Ask me what you will,all all all that you wish Come with us r


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I will provide you with everything; I willgive you employments, honors, money-everything. NOBODYshall ksuno it."

The officer, :finding that the harsh voicegrew so sweet and bland, hearing such kind

promises, and contemplating such impressivegestures of the Most Excellent and MostIllustrious Vicar, fallen on his knees beforeme, could not refrain from putting in hisword also. " Yes, yes, he ought to do as the

Senor Vicario tells him. No man could domore," But this officer did not yet knowwhat lies under the cassock.

The holy man, seeing that I was not to bemoved, suddenly broke out into a furiousexclamation: "Do you see? He is makinga jest of me. A way with him to the Prison!Away with him this moment I Do you hear?We shall see ! We shall seeI Hey I"

A few minutes afterwards I heard thatgentle voice again, which at once softenedand rent my heart, speaking through the key-hole: "Do not fear. Be careful not to get achill, my Angel. The Government is not

willing to let them remove thee."This gave me great encouragement. * ," tHere I must be allowed to omit two scenes


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VICAR PANDO. 57

which followed, and which it surpasses my

powerto describe.--The Vicar would never believe that the

Saloon, the blows or the sufferings.I under-

went could have the least effect upon my

health; yet one of the most eminent phy-sicians had certifiedthat I was sick with ner-vous fever, and that my remaining in thatplace might be attended with serious con-

sequences.

An hour after the Vicar left me, six menwere brought by two dependentsof the Gov-

ernment, and, taking the mattress and Mora

on their shoulders,carried me to a chamberin

the upper part of the house; my dear wifewalking by my side, in spite of the orders

and menacesof the Vicar.Thus were the powers of Jesuitism frus-

trated by the influenceof one of the kindes.t

hearts that I ever knew. 0 that I couldplace on record a memorial of gratitude,without exposing to their vengeance thatpowerfulhand which interposedbetween theexecutionersand the victimI

Circumstancesassure me that the time isnot far distant when the broken chains of

tyranny will fall into the dust; and then the


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restraint which, to my regret, prudence im

poses on my pen, will also cease, and I shallbe able to make known publicly the gratitudeIhave already expressed in private.

You, lady, knowing by your own experi-ence what certain people are capable of doing,with the courage which Iwell understood,displaying talents and virtues well known toboth the bad and the good, penetrated into aplace which your presence ought never to

have honored, to wrench me for the firsttime out of their grasp, to parry the firstblow, which is always the most terrible, ofthose cruel hangmen who know neither charitynor pity.

.Although the second cell was small andclose, my position was there very much im-proved; and the hatred of the Chiefs andFamiliars of the Holy Officewas aggravatedmore and more by the resistance which the

Government opposed to carrying me away toa Hospital, among diseased criminals, as theVicar desired.

I well know that the Government wished torelease me. I myself often witnessed, onvarious occasions, a conflict between theSpanish authority and the power of the sue-


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VICAR PANDO. 59

cessor of Nithard ; but the importunities of

the high dignitaries-as they are called-the chiefs of the priesthood, were urged

continually. These persons were seen daily

in the Governor's office, and elsewhere; and

the contest for some time hung doubtful.

The Government, it is true, regarded me as

their political enemy; but I must here place

on record a fact which is to myself morally

certain-that, as soon as ever they obtained

certain information on my case, they endea-vored to - persuade the Tribunal of the Faith

to allow me to go abroad, and accept expatri-

ation in exchange for a severer penalty.

The parents of those who now belong to

the Moderate party, and a great part of ouraged men, are precisely those who suffered

most from the priesthood during the earlier

periods of liberal government. This party in

general, as well as all the Liberals, detest the

priesthood, although now, as formerly, they

are linked in with it, by men of whom this is

not the place to speak.

Observing that communications were now

more difficult than before, and having heardthat not even my mother-in-law would be

permitted to bring me food, I sent for the In-6*


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spector General of Public Security, and ad-

dressed him thus:

" I must repeat to you, Mr. Inspector, what

Isaid before, when in the Dungeon, that Iwill not eat or drink anything whatever, unless

it be brought me by some one from my ownhouse. !have good reason to believe that

they intend to poison me, and will do so,

unless Iuse this precaution. You may have

observed that although Ihave said thiS to

yourself and to all the others, those who areinstruments of Loyola keep a profound silence.

I therefore hope you will allow my family to

bring food and water from my house, and that

the guard which Ihave requested will not

leave me alone, lest some other attempt bemade upon my life."

The Inspector, who was attentive, kind, and

in every respect a gentleman of right feeling,

instantly acceded to my request. My mother-

in-law was the medium of communication

between myself and my friends j and thus I

gained information of all that passed outside,

and of nearly all the steps taken by the

Jesuits.The newspapers were not permitted to speak

a word. An article in one of them on my


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VICil PANDO. 61

case was suppressed by the Censor; but the

guards, who also did duty in the streets ofMadrid as policemen, served instead of news-

papers. My case became the subject of gen-

eral conversation, even in the taverns. The

sound part of the population, and even manyof the unsound, were on my side, and, above

all, the great mass of working men.

Meanwhile, my wife went from place to

place: she applied to the Ministers, she con-

sulted with my friends, and with many whosegreat influence I considered might have weight

to deliver me from those iron clutches.

The President of the Council, General

O'Donnell, after receiving her with the great-est kindness and delicacy, consoled her with

the assurance that, so long as he was at the

head of public affairs, he would not suffer

them to commit any violence on my person.

But the good General must have known that,inspite of his assurance, I should be quite asmuch at their mercy as he himself has been.

There is a sinister shade that glides behind

the throne, manages the pleasure of the Crown,

and sets at nought every obstacle to the con-summation of his dark designs.

The Vicar had the unmerited honor of see-


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ing that mysterious goodness which exerted

itself in plucking the prey from the jaws ofthe tiger. With all the talent which that

goodness incontestably possesses, it was dis-

appointed.

Certainly there is a sort of beings who live,

make themselves merry, and meanly submit

even to the most trifling whims of the great

ones of the earth. Those feeble beings-feeble

with the strong-are themselves petty tyrants

over the poor and weak. On this occasion,however, the Vicar behaved like a man strong

with the strong, as on the day of his battle in

the street.

My wife went to h~malso, and her doing so

was the greatest of all griefs that could befallme. Her never failing affection towards her

husband, sharing a great part of his suffer-

ings Her child and mine!

The Vicar told me, with an air of triumph,

that my wife had been to see him, and that

she had been begging him, kneeling at his feet.

But he did not tell me what Ishall now re-late.

"Mr. Vicar," said she, "you were once acompanion and friend of my husband. Prayhave compassion on me, and on my child. I


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VICAR PANDO. 63

know that you have children of your own j

Iknow that, and you cannot say that you

have not."

"Senora, Senora, Iam chaste. Ipromised

chastity, and Icarefully observe it. Get out

of my house-out of my house."Thus he would have dismissed her, lavish-ing those ornaments of language which the

eloquence of sanctimonious gentlemen of his

kind does not disdain to use.

"Yes," continued my wife, refusing to besilenced, " Yes, you are the father of children,

and you ought to have the compassion of a

father. And here is mine-here is mine--

look upon him, here is mine, a child that loveshis father, and the very image of his father he

is. Pray have pity on my child."

And what did the Vicar General say to this ?

"Senora I Iswear to you by God, by God

ioho hears what we are sayiTI!J,and on. the faithof a Priest, thatyou shalJ never see your husband

again-never, never."

" Well Iwell I"replied my wife, I'that oath

assures me that the God by whom you swear

will have pity on my husband, and save him."Icannot relate all that happened while I

was in this cell j and, indeed, there were days


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IX.

THE PHYSICIANS.

I HAD asked for a medical attendant inwhom I could place confidence, and the Gov-ernment acceded to my request without amoment's hesitation. My own Physician wasjust then absent in England; and my friend

who first came to see me sent another. Untilthat time I had not known this young man,of whom I fear to speak, lest my words shouldappear to be the effectof the extreme warmthof my gratitude towards him. He had been

a pupil of the Vicar, was very friendly withhim and respected him j and, although I hadno previous knowledge of him myself, he hadheard of me. I cannot tell how hard thisyoung Doctor labored for me, and what reo

presentations he made on my behalf. Threetimes every day he visited me, and threetimes every day had the kindness and patienceto go to the officeof the Inspector and ask for

the permission,without which itwas impossibleto enter.

Two Doctors and Professors of the College


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THE PHYSICIANS. 65

of Medicine came from the Tribunal of the

Faith, to know whether I was very sick ornot j and also to ascertain whether I could be

removed on a bed to the place where I wasafterwards confined.

One of these was a devotee, but a sincereman, so far as I could judge j the other wasboth liberal and intelligent.

The first, a Professor of Anatomy, beforeproceeding to feel Mora's pulse, betook him-

self to inspect the heretic. What kind of fore-head? what nose? what head? passing hishand over each part. The other surveyed mewith an air of compassionthat struck me veryforcibly j and this he did without caring forthe presence of an ugly fellow, extremely de-formed, who seemed to be noting the words,countenances, and gestures of everyone there.This thrice ugly person-whose soul must

surely be as deformed as his body-was theNotary of the Holy Tribunal, and much moreintelligent, although younger, than the Vicar.Intelligent, indeed, the Vicar never was j andI should say so now, as his lack of sense may

at some future time serve as an excuse for hisconduct.

This Notary must surely be affiliated to the


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Society j and why may he not, since even the

King Consort is? And, besides bearing, tomy mind, the very countenance of the Com-pany, he was to all who came near, and espe-cially to my good Physician, the most dis-agreeable of men.

Shortly afterwards Iheard that the DoctOTHnot only agreed that Iwas indeed very ill,but reported that it would be impossible toremove me, either inbed or out of it.

The Government took advantage of thisstrong reason, and so gave complete satisfac-inn to my friends, resisting the haughty andshameless importunities of the inhuman Tri-bunal, whose wretched instrument through-

out the whole was that shallow and vainVicar.

One sorrowful night Iwas surprised and de-lighted to see some Deputies of the late Cortes,friends of mine, persons highly respected in

the advanced Liberal party, enter my cell. Ithought they were going to communicate somegood news, after the immense efforts they hadmade, in speaking and making interest with

persons of high dignity in the State j but whatwas my surprise at hearing from their lips,"There is no help I We can only say that


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VIOLENCE. 67

your Judge has promised us to dispatch your

case quickly; and, as there is not now anyother resource left, we shall clo ely watch hismovements, to seewhether he keeps his word;and ifhe does not, keep up your courage ; for

it will then b e necessary to get you out o f theirhands by force. When the case is finished,they will deliver you over to the civil author-ity, and here we shall have you again on otherground."

They said no more, and bade me say noth-ing; for they knew that, however indulgentthe highest authority might be, the walls hadears. We were in the midst of the Police.Ikept 'silence, and with the greatest gratitudeheard their words of consolation.

x.

VIOLENCE.

Next day they gave me notice that the Vicarand that vera effigies of Jesuitism, the Notary,

were coming to continue the process, as theycalled it.

At the appointed hour they made their ap-


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pearance. They angrily turned out my

guard, shut the door, and the Judge began.

"Good afternoon, Mora."

" Very good afternoon, Sellor Pando."

"The Most Excellent and Most Illustrious

Judge," added the N otary, " wishes toknow whether you are in a disposition to

answer questions which will be put to you on

the process in this case."

"0 yes," the Vicar replied for me, with

that sort of amiability which always turnsinto perfect rage; "you are quite disposed, I

am sure."

"But you see that Iam not; my head is in

n o very bad state, and Ifear that Icould not

:fix attention on any point. Besides, you neednot---"

(The Notary.) "Say,' Your Most Illustri-ous Excellency I' "

"Your Most lllustrious Excellency needs

not trouble himself Whatever Ihave said

in my profession of faith and of Protestant-

ism, is already On record: Iwill rectify any

inaccu:racy, but Ineither can nor will retract."

(The Noto:ry.) "V cry well, then, read this,or listen, do you hear?" &c., &c.

Then the Notary began reading with a


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VIOLENCE. 69

very loud voice, but I stoppedhim with an

entreaty that he would not make such a

noise. " Do not, I beseech you; that noise

torments me, I cannot make anything out.

I am a Protestant: I beseech you, do not

trouble me any more."At this the Minister of Peace started up

like a fury, beating the floorviolently withhis feet, shoutingand roaring at such a rate,

that those on the outside-for there werealways several policemen outside the cell-

heard every word. Then, coming close to

my bed, he laid his hands upon me, andbawled: "I will give you the gag j I will

bind you hand and foot, and carry youaway." My ears rang with a great noise,and, stunned with the confusion,I became

utterly insensible.When I came to myself; I saw the guard

who stood alone at my side, now sighingheavily, and again exclaiming against the

religionthat has such Ministers."When you cried for help, I was at the

door listening,ready, in case you needed it.""My courage left me," said I, "when the

Vicar came to the bed. At that moment I

thought of the Priest Merino when he up-


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proached another person;* and the terriblethought arose of what he might carry underhis cloak. I was terrified when I found my-self without you, and beyond that I know

nothing more."

The Vicar, the Jesuits, and the spies thatwere both in the house and on the outside,never believed that I was sick; so accustomedare they to feign and to dissemble, that they

judge others by themselves.

The Doctors came back again the day fol-lowing with the Notary, and repeated the verysame scene as before. The certificate was,with a trifling difference, the same as the

other.

As th

The Inquisition Revived

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Transcript of The Inquisition Revived