“The viceroy came out of his palace accompanied by a guard of honor,
musketeers, and two trumpeters. Doctors, lawyers, and university
professors preceded the monks and the priests, standard bearers in
coats of mail with clubs, the captain of the watch, and judges, the
oldest of whom walked by the viceroy, cavalry, generals, and pages.
The Inquisitors had hats on top of their caps, worn only at that time,
decorated with the insignia of the Pope’s legates. The militia had
formed in line, and at the appearance of the black and gold banner
of the Inquisition they lowered their flags in salute. An altar was
raised, a chair for the viceroy and the high officials.
“The eldest one rose and addressed the viceroy. ‘Your Excellency
swears and promises upon his faith and word as a true Catholic Viceroy
appointed by His Catholic Highness, to defend with all his might the
Catholic faith, which the Holy Apostolic Church in Rome recognizes,
to further its well being and growth, to follow up the heretics and
dissenters and enemies, to give necessary help and aid to the Holy
Tribunal of the Inquisition and its servants, so that the heretics
and disturbers of our Christian religion shall be taken and punished
according to the law of the Holy Church, without your Excellency
making any exception in favor of anybody no matter what his station in
life be.’
“The viceroy replied: ‘I swear it and promise by my faith and word.’
“‘If your Excellency does so, as we expect from your piety and
Christianity you will, the Lord God will bless all the works undertaken
by your Excellency in His holy service and will give you health and
long life as this kingdom and the service of His Majesty needs.’
“A mass was read for the viceroy, and a priest extolled from the
chancel the glory which comes to religion through the sacrifice of
heretics. After the sermon, all pledged themselves to tell any act
contrary to religion which they knew of, and not to give protection to
any heretic who was under the ban of the church.
“The denunciation was read as soon as the culprit was named, led up out
of his secret cell and put into a cage from which he had to hear his
final judgment. He was dressed in the San Benito, in itself a lasting
shame. It reached to the knees of the sinner and had his portrait
painted upon it surrounded by flames, devils, and dragons. On his head
he wore a bag-like, high and pointed cap, on which were devils’ faces
in flames. Gags were ready in case blasphemers should break out against
the judges.”
The burning is said to have taken place where the bull-ring now is.
IV
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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