Page:History of the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella the Catholic Vol. I.djvu/411

267 THE INQUISITION. 267 The Roman see, durino; all this time, conducting chapter ^ . VII. itself with its usual duplicity, contrived to make a 1 r- T • /• 1 Perfidious gainful traffic by the sale of dispensations from the po'^cy or penalties incurred by such as fell under the ban of the Inquisition, provided they were rich enough to pay for them, and afterwards revoking them, at the instance of the Castilian court. Meanwhile, the odium, excited by the unsparing rigor of Torque- mada, raised up so many accusations against him, that he was thrice compelled to send an agent to Rome to defend his cause before the pontiff; until, at length, Alexander the Sixth, in 1494, moved by these reiterated complaints, appointed four coadju- tors, out of a pretended regard to the infirmities of his age, to share with him the burdens of his office. ^^ This personage, who is entitled to so high a rank among those who have been the authors of unmix- ed evil to their species, was permitted to reach a very old age, and to die quietly in his bed. Yet he lived in such constant apprehension of assassina- tion, that he is said to have kept a reputed uni- corn's horn always on his table, which was imagin- ed to have the power of detecting and neutralizing poisons ; while, for the more complete protection of his person, he was allowed an escort of fifty horse Memorables, fol. 164. — The pro- (Reyes Catolicos, part. 2, cap. digious desolation of the land may 77,) at four, L. Marineo (Cosas be inferred from the estimates, Memorables, fol. 164,) as high as although somewhat discordant, of five thousand, deserted houses in Andalusia. 58 Llorente, Hist, de I'lnquisi- Garibay (Compendio, lib. 18, cap. tion, tom. i. chap. 7, art. 8 ; chap. 17,) puts these at three, Pulgar 8, art. 6.