Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. I.djvu/400

256 256 THE INQUISITION. PART to lodge information against him before the Holy ^' Office ; and the ministers of religion were instructed to refuse absolution to such as hesitated to comply with this, although the suspected person might stand in the relation of parent, child, husband, or wife. All accusations, anonymous as well as signed, were admitted ; it being only necessary to specify the names of the witnesses, whose testimony was taken down in writing by a secretary, and afterwards read to them, which, unless the inaccuracies were so gross as to force themselves upon their attention, they seldom failed to confirm. ^° The accused, in the mean time, whose myste- rious disappearance was perhaps the only public evidence of his arrest, was conveyed to the secret chambers of the Inquisition, where he was jealously excluded from intercourse with all, save a priest of the Romish church and his jailer, both of whom might be regarded as the spies of the tribunal. In this desolate condition, the unfortunate man, cut off" from external communication and all cheering sympathy or support, was kept for some time in ignorance even of the nature of the charges pre- ferred against him, and at length, instead of the 40 Puigblanch, Inquisition Un- the interests of the tribunal." masked, vol. i. chap. 4. — Llorente, Their answers often opened anew Hist, de rinquisition, torn. i. chap, scent to the judges, and thus, 6, art. I ; chap. 9, art. 1,2. — The in the language of Montanus, witnesses were questioned in such " brought more fishes into the in- general terms, that they were even quisitors' holy angle." See Mon- kept in ignorance of the particular tanus. Discovery and Playne Dec- matter respecting which they were laration of sundry subtill Practises expected to testify. Thus, they of the Holy Inquisition of Spayne, were asked " if they knew any Eng. trans. (London, 1569,) fol thing which had been said or done 11. contrary to the Catholic faith, and