Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. I.djvu/401

257 THE INQUISITION. 257 original process, was favored only with extracts chapter from the depositions of the witnesses, so garbled as : — to conceal every possible clue to their name and quality. With still greater unfairness, no men- tion whatever was made of such testimony, as had arisen in the course of the examination, in his own favor. Counsel was indeed allowed from a list presented by his judges. But this privilege avail- ed little, since the parties were not permitted to confer together, and the advocate was furnished with no other sources of information than what had been granted to his client. To add to the injus- tice of these proceedings, every discrepancy in the statements of the witnesses was converted into a separate charge against the prisoner, who thus, in- stead of one crime, stood accused of several. This, taken in connexion with the concealment of time, place, and circumstance in the accusations, created such embarrassment, that, unless the accused was possessed of unusual acuteness and presence of mind, it was sure to involve him, in his attempts to explain, in inextricable contradiction. ^^ If the prisoner refused to confess his guilt, or, Tonure as was usual, was suspected of evasion, or an at- tempt to conceal the truth, he was subjected to the torture. This, which was administered in the deep- est vaults of the Inquisition, where the cries of the victim could fall on no ear save that of his tor- mentors, is admitted by the secretary of the Holy 41 Limborch, Inquisition, book chap. 6, art. 1 ; chap. 9, art. 4-9. 4, chap. 20. — Montanus, Inquisi- Puigblanch, Inquisition Unmask- tion of Spayne, fol. 6-15. — Lie- ed, vol. i. chap. 4. lente, Hist, de I'Inquisition, torn. i. VOL. I. 33