reason, the noblest gift of his Almighty Creator. Surely every well wisher to the human race, must rejoice in the downfall of this most barbarous and infernal of all tribunals. SECTION II. BARBARITIES EXERCISED BY THE INQUISITIONS OF SPAIN AND PORTUGAL. Francis Romanes, a native of Spain, was employed by the merchants of Antwerp, to transact some business for them at Bremen. He had been educated in the Romish persuasion, but going one day into a protestant church, he was struck with the truths which he heard, and beginning to perceive the errors of popery, he determined to search farther into the matter. Perusing the sacred scriptures, and the writings of some protestant divines, he perceived how erroneous were the principles which he had formerly embraced; and renounced the impositions of popery for the doctrines of the reformed church, in which religion appeared in all its purity. Resolving to think only of his eternal salvation, he studied religious truths more than trade, and purchased books rather than merchandise, convinced that the riches of the body are trifling to those of the soul. He therefore resigned his agency to the merchants of Antwerp, giving them an account at the same time of his conversion; and then resolving, if possible, to convert his parents, he went to Spain for that purpose. But the Antwerp merchants writing to the inquisitors, he was seized upon, imprisoned for some time, and then condemned to be burnt as a heretic. He was led to the place of execution in a garment painted over with devils, and had a paper mitre put upon his head by way of derison. As he passed by a wooden cross, one of the priests bade him kneel to it; but he absolutely refused so to do, saying, "It is not for Christians to worship wood." Having been placed upon a pile of wood, the fire quickly reached him, whereupon he lifted up his head suddenly; the priests thinking he meant to recant, ordered him to be taken down. Finding, however, that they were mistaken, and that he still retained Lis constancy, he was placed again upon the pile, where, as long as he had life and voice remaining, he kept repeating the seventh psalm. Horrid Treachery of an Inquisitor. A lady, with her two daughters and her niece, were apprehended at Seville for professing the protestant religion. They were all put to the torture; and when that was over, one of the inquisitors sent for the youngest daughter, pretended to sympathise with her, and pity her sufferings; then binding himself with a solemn oath not to betray her, he said, "If you will disclose all to me, I promise you I will procure the discharge of your mother, sister, cousin, and yourself." Made confident by his oath, and entrapped by his promises, she revealed the whole of the tenets they professed; when the perjured wretch, instead of acting as he had so, immediately ordered her to be put to the rack, saying, "Nowave revealed so much, I will make you reveal more." Refueng, however, to say any thing farther, they were all ordered to be burnt, which sentence was executed at the next Auto da Fe. 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 favour in his power, with as much secrecy as possible. At length, however, the inquisitors became acquainted with his kindness, and determined to punish him severely for it, that other gaolers night be deterred from showing the least traces of that compassion which ought to glow in the breast of every human being. With this view they immediately threw him into a dismal dungeon, and used him with dreadful barbarity, so that he lost his senses. His deplorable situation, however, procured him no favour; for, frantic as he was, they brought him from prison, at an Auto da Fe, to the usual place of punishment, with a sanbenito (or garment worn by criminals) on, and a rope about his neck. His sentence was then read, and ran thus: that he should be placed upon an ass, led through the city, receive 200 stripes, and then be condemned for six years to the galleys. This unhappy, frantic wretch, just as they were about to begin his punishment, suddenly sprang from the back of the ass, broke the cords that bound him, snatched a sword from one of the guards, and dangerously wounded an officer of the inquisition. Being overpowered by multitudes, he was prevented from doing further mischief, seized, bound more securely on the ass, and punished according to his sentence. But so inexorable were the inquisitors, that for the rash effects of his madness, four years were added to his slavery in the galleys. A young lady, named Maria de Coceicao, who resided with her brother at Lisbon, was taken up by the inquisitors, and ordered to be put to the rack. The torments she felt made her confess the charges against her. The cords were then slackened, and she was re-conducted to her cell, where she remained till she had recovered the use of her limbs; she was then brought again before the tribunal, and ordered to ratify her confession. This she absolutely refused to do, telling them, that what she had said was forced from her by the excessive pain she underwent. The inquisitors, incensed at this reply, ordered her again to be put to the rack, when the weakness of nature once more prevailed, and she repeated her former confession. She was immediately remanded to her cell: and being a third time brought be fore the inquisitors, they ordered her to sign her first and second confessions. She answered as before, but added, "I have twice given way to the frailty of the flesh, and perhaps may, while on the rack, be weak enough to do so again; but depend upon it, if you torture me an hundred times, as soon as I am released from the rack I shall deny what was extorted from me by pain." The inquisitors then ordered her to be racked a third time; and during this last trial, she bore the torments with the utmost fortitude, and could not be persuaded to answer any of the questions put to her. As her courage and constancy increased, the inquisitors, instead of putting her to death, condemned her to a severe whipping through the public streets, and banishment for ten years. A lady of a noble family in Seville, named Jane Bohorquia, was apprehended on the information of her sister, who had been tortured |