“Six months had I passed in solitary confinement, when one night the gaoler came to the cell, accompanied by four or six men. This mysterious and absurd way of proceeding rendered it apparent to me that I was going to the prison of the Inquisition; an event which I had long anticipated. I was taken in chains to a carriage, where I found a silent companion; and being surrounded by constables, officers of the Inquisition, who walked by the side of the carriage, I was conveyed to St. Anton Gate. There, to prevent any person from guessing my destination, I was ordered to alight, and led through an alley, to the gate of the palace of the Inquisition, which communicates with the prison. I was then conveyed to a room, where they entered my name in the books, made an inventory of the few clothes I had, and asked me if I had any knife, razor, or scissors, or any other instrument; also, if I had any gold, silver, or jewels; and, on their saying that they would rely on my word in this respect, I produced some pieces of gold coin, most stupidly relying on their assertion; but as soon as they obtained this, and found that I had nothing else to produce, they began the most scrupulous search over every part of my body. “The gaoler, who for greater dignity has the name of _alcaide_, that is, keeper of the castle, addressed to me almost a little sermon, recommending me to behave in this respectable house with great propriety; stating also, that I must not make any noise in my room, nor speak loud, lest the other prisoners might happen to be in the neighbouring cells and hear me, with other similar instructions. He then took me to my cell, a small room, 12 feet by 8, with a door to the passage: in this door were two iron grates, far from each other, and occupying the thickness of the wall, which was three feet, and outside of these grates there was, besides, a wooden door; in the upper part of this was an aperture that let into the cell a borrowed light from the passage, which passage received its light from the windows fronting a narrow yard, but having opposite, at a very short distance, very high walls. In this small room were a kind of wood frame without feet, whereon lay a straw mattress, which was to be my bed; a small water-pot; and another utensil for various purposes, which was emptied only once every eight days, when I went to mass in the prisoners’ private chapel. This was the only opportunity I had of taking fresh air during such a period; and they contrived seven divisions in the chapel in such a manner that the prisoners could never see each other, or know how many were granted the favour of going to mass. The cell was arched above, and the floor was brick, the wall being formed of stone, and very thick. The place was consequently very cold in winter, and so damp, that very frequently the grates were covered with drops of water like dew; and my clothes, during the winter, were in a state of perpetual moisture. Such