The Irish standard., 1897-02-13

delivered over to the civil court Of the
Inquisition,Ashere new trial was given
and where only the penalties decreed by.
the Spanish laws were inflicted.
This Spanish Inqufsition began. its
work in January 1880 by proclaiming a
period of 60 days or more Of grace, dur
ing which persuasion and preaching
were used to win back the apostates, and
all owning, to, tie crime were abso1ved
without severe penance. The time of
grace having expired, the criminality of
some of the most notorious Judaizers
was pronouncaf at once, and they were
sentenced to death by the civil tribu-
nails
Four days after the publication six
convicts suffered at the stake "and on
the 4th of the following November" says
Prescott, 298 were sacrificed the auto
de fe. This harshness with which an ex-
aggerated instinct Of preservation
led the government, supported by popu-
lar feeling throughout all Spain, to sac
rifice the objects of it's dread, aroused:
the. Indignation and alarm of Pope I'll
tus w. Before the first year was out:
he sent the Spanish monarchs a brief,
complaining vehemently that he had
been defrauded into granting the per-
mission, and had wholly misunderstood
their intentions, which as acted out were
contrary he said, to all the papal. de-;
crees, and to the general mode of proce-
dure. He severely rebuked too, the In
out the concurrence of the local prelates.
Within a year he sent fresh .remon-
STRANGE, and six months later, still an
other, in which he threw himself be-
tween the unfeeling rulers and their
poor subjects No language could be
more touching than his solemn appeal to
them ''by the tender mercies of Jesus
Christ to have pity On such Of their sub;
jects as might have fallen into error"
But Ferdinand felt that he could count
upon the support Of his people for al
nest any measures however rigorous
he might even in defiance of Rome
choose to adopt. The relations between
Spain and Rome became at one period
so unfriendfy that the am bassadors on
both sides were imprisoned, all negotia-
tons were suspended, and the king re-
called his subjects who were dwelling
in the Roman states. Still he was too
wise not to foresee the danger. of disas-
trous dissatisfaction among his Christian
subjects that might result from an ag-
gravation of his differences with the
Holy Father. - Failing therefore to yield
to the demands of the Pope he proposed
an apparent change in the makeup Of
theinstitutiQn, whereby the appointment
and control Of all it's officials should
theneeforttf he fin the hands of one SUI
preme Or Gland Inquisitor, to be named:
by the crown but confirmed by the Pope.
He felt safe that no Spanish subject of:
his would appointments be made at va
Rance with his Royal will. 800.
The first Grand .Inquisito:, was the Do
minican: fridr OF Segovia, Torquemada.
He organized the -Inquisit.on throughl
out CASTLE and ,Arragon, with "a new set
OF rules for its. government, and subsi-
diary courts in Cordoya, Jaen and Villa
Real. To each court the king decreed
there should be Board of Councillors.
chosen by himself, and forming with
the Grand Inquisitor a deliberative as
sembly, in which they were able to con-
troll all decisions by majority of votes.
Thus was the Inqulsition made still fur
theI the tool of the King. and with
drawn from ecclesiastical control. One:
Of the last acts Of .Sixtus " was to order
the Inquisitors to absolve secretly such
of the accused ,heretics as were penitent.
so that there might be no further legal
pretext for proceeding against them.
And following out the same policy, his
successor Innocent VIII, at different
times ordered several hundred to be so
absolved. But the Spanish government
ignored his action. It was preparing to
give it's cruelties wider field,
The Inquisitors had been coming to;
feel and to represent urgently to the.
king, that there was TO solid hope of
keeping the Marranos, or converted
Jews, from going back as long as the I'M
converted Jews were left to ply them
with their fanatical proselytism, and:
their vivid visions Of coming triumph
of their creed in Spain. Some Jews too,
in spirit of revenge for the punish
ments inflicted by the .Inquisition al
lowed themselves to commit some shock
ing acts Of sacrilege, such as disngur-..
ing crucifxes and perpetrating hor-
rible indignities on consecvated hosts
which Iney had stolen. There were sus-
picions of their having kidnapped and
cr'1cifed Christian children and Of Jew
lsh anotl,ecaries and physicians having;
poisoned their Christian patients. But.
beside such social encrmities, they were.
by some Intercepted letters in cipher.
discovered beyond doubt to be engaged
III a treaspnable conspiracy with the.
M.:nrs of :Sfri,:a~ The Jews little loyal;