History of the Inquisition from Its Establishment Till the Present TimeSime, William
History
History of the Inquisition from Its Establishment Till the Present Time
Sime, William
Inquisition; Inquisition -- History
The horrid procedure of the Inquisition is never calculated
to make converts—the punishments inflicted by it encourage
hypocrisy—it frequently condemns the innocent—the Inquisitors
proved to be actuated by avarice in their condemnation of
prisoners—other offences besides heresy taken cognizance of by
the Holy Office—its flagrant injustice—its barbarous proceedings
against the dead.
Having given a historical sketch of the "Holy Office," falsely so
called, more particularly as it exists in Spain, we shall now select
several instances, in addition to those which have been already
noticed, of the sufferings of individuals, who have unhappily fallen
into the hands of the Inquisitors, those declared enemies of humanity.
Notwithstanding all the efforts of the Inquisitors to force their
prisoners to accuse themselves, in order to escape a cruel and
ignominious death, multitudes have continued steadfast in the truth,
and submitted to be "tortured, not accepting deliverance," nay "gave
their bodies to be burned," rather than, by a cowardly confession, to
accuse themselves unjustly, and wound their own consciences. In proof
of this we select the following interesting cases.
In the auto-da-fé which was celebrated at Valladolid in 1559, Don
Carlos de Sessa, a nobleman of Verona, was among the number of those
who were burnt for having espoused the doctrines of the Reformation.
He was arrested at Logrogna, and confined in the secret prisons of the
Inquisition at Valladolid. After undergoing the usual examinations,
his sentence was read to him on the 7th of October, by which he was
informed that he was to suffer death on the following day. Unmoved by
the tidings, De Sessa requested pen and ink, and wrote his confession,
which was not a recantation of his faith, but a firm adherence to
the reformed principles. In these principles,—the very reverse of
those which are taught by the apostate Church of Rome,—he declared
that he was determined, to die, and would give himself to God through
the merits of his Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. His persecutors
vehemently exhorted him during the night, and on the following morning,
to retract; but without success. He was accordingly gagged, that he
might be prevented from stating his principles to the people. When
he was fastened to the stake, the gag was taken from his mouth, and
he was again exhorted to return to the Romish faith, in which case
the Inquisitors would have extended their mercy so far, as to have
strangled him first before he was burnt. But with a loud voice, and
great firmness, De Sessa replied, "If I had sufficient time, I would
convince you, that you are lost, by not following my example. Hasten to
light the wood, which is to consume me." Fire was then set to the pile,
and, after great suffering, his body was consumed to ashes.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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