Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition: A HistorySabatini, Rafael
History
Torquemada and the Spanish Inquisition: A History
Sabatini, Rafael
Inquisition -- Spain; Torquemada, Tomás, de, 1420-1498
Guevára, thereupon, petitions the court to permit him to submit his
proofs of the matters of which he accuses the prisoner, and the court
having accorded him this petition, he puts in as evidence the entire
_dossier_ from which we have drawn these pages on the subject.[204]
Five days later both parties are again before the court, Guevára now
petitioning their Reverend Paternities to pass to the publication of
witnesses, that the trial may be brought to its conclusion. Dr. Villada
announces his readiness to do so, but accords the defendants three days
within which to lodge any objection to any of the matter contained in
the depositions.
Yucé begs through his advocate that copies be given him of all the
depositions of those who were present at the crucifixion, with the name
of each hostile witness and a statement of the day, month, year, and
place in which anything alleged against him is said to have taken place.
But Guevára immediately objects, urging that in the copies of the
depositions to be given defendant, no names shall appear of any of the
witnesses who had deponed, and no circumstances shall be included which
might enable Yucé to conjecture the names. It seems a purely formal
objection; for after the confrontations there have been it appears to
serve very little purpose. But some purpose it does serve, because
those confrontations after all were limited to Ocaña and Benito, and
from the moment that it was not considered necessary to proceed to
confrontation with any of the other prisoners it would seem that they
had needed no such spur to drive them into depositions hostile to Yucé.
However, the reverend inquisitor replies loftily enough that he will
do what justice demands, and he orders the notary to deliver to Yucé
copies of all the depositions against him. But from Yucé’s advocate’s
plea on October 29--upon the expiry of the three days appointed--it is
plain that the particulars claimed have been withheld.
From the fact that the advocate Sanç has drawn up so strong an
objection on behalf of his client, it is perfectly clear that even at
this date Yucé’s guilt of heresy cannot be considered as established.
If that were the case, Sanç, in obedience to the oath imposed upon him
when entrusted with the defence, would have been compelled to lay down
his brief and withdraw.
Yucé denies all the allegations against him which charge him with
having taken any active part in the crucifixion of the boy, and he
protests that he is unable properly to defend himself because the
copies of the depositions supplied him do not mention time or place
of the alleged offences nor yet the names of the witnesses by whom
these allegations are made. Upon the assumption, however, that these
deponents are Benito Garcia, Juan Franco, and Juan de Ocaña, he
proceeds to answer the charges as best he can.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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