Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. I.djvu/408

264 264 THE INQUISITION. PART self in their concerns, that they were now reduced to bow their necks to a few frantic priests, the members of an order, which, in Spain at least, was quite as conspicuous for ignorance as intoler- ance ? True indeed the Castilians, and the Ara- gonese subsequently still more, gave such evidence of their aversion to the institution, that it can hardly be believed the clergy would have suc- ceeded in fastening it upon them, had they not availed themselves of the popular prejudices against the Jews.^^ Providence, however, permitted that the sufferings, thus heaped on the heads of this unfortunate people, should be requited in full mea- sure to the nation that inflicted them. The fires of the Inquisition, which were lighted exclusively for the Jews, were destined eventually to consume their oppressors. They were still more deeply avenged in the moral influence of this tribunal, which, eating like a pestilent canker into the heart of the monarchy, at the very time when it was exhibiting a most goodly promise, left it at length a bare and sapless trunk. Convictions Notwithstanding; the persecutions under Tor- under Tor- o ^ luemada. quemada were confined almost wholly to the Jews, his activity was such as to furnish abundant prece- dent, in regard to forms of proceeding, for his successors ; if, indeed, the word forms may be ap- plied to the conduct of trials so summary, that the 52 The Aragonese, as we shall In Castile, its enormous abuses see hereafter, made a manly, thouph provoked the spirited interposi- ineflectual resistance, from the first, tion of the lofrislature at the com- to the introduction of the Inqui- mencement of the following reign, sition among them by Ferdinand. But it was then too late.