Previous to continuing our narrative, it may be as well to give
our readers some little insight into the nature, ceremonies, and
regulations of the Inquisition; and in describing that of Goa, we may
be said to describe all others, with very trifling, if any, variation.
The Santa Casa, or Inquisition of Goa, is situated on one side of a
large square, called the Terra di Sabaio. It is a massive handsome
pile of stone buildings, with three doors in the front: the centre one
is larger than the two lateral, and it is through the centre door that
you go into the Hall of Judgment. The side-doors lead to spacious and
handsome apartments for the Inquisitors, and officers attached to the
establishment.
Behind these apartments are the cells and dungeons of the Inquisition;
they are in two long galleries, with double doors to each, and are
about ten feet square. There are about two hundred of them; some are
much more comfortable than the others, as light and air are admitted
into them: others are wholly dark. In the galleries the keepers watch,
and not a word or a sound can proceed from any cell without their
being able to overhear it. The treatment of those confined is, as
far as respects their food, very good: great care is taken that the
nourishment is of that nature that the prisoners may not suffer from
the indigestion arising from want of exercise. Surgical attendance
is also permitted them; but, unless on very particular occasions,
no priests are allowed to enter. Any consolation to be derived from
religion, even the office of confessor and extreme unction, in case
of dissolution, are denied them. Should they die during their
confinement, whether proved guilty or not of the crime of which they
are accused, they are buried without any funeral ceremony, and tried
afterwards, if then found guilty, their bones are disinterred, and the
execution of their sentence is passed upon their remains.
There are two Inquisitors at Goa: one the Grand Inquisitor, and
the other his second, who are invariably chosen from the order
of St-Dominique; these two are assisted in their judgment and
examinations by a large number selected from the religious orders,
who are termed deputies of the Holy Office, but who only attend when
summoned: they have other officers, whose duty it is to examine all
published books, and ascertain if there is anything in their pages
contrary to the holy religion. There is also a public accuser, a
procureur of the Inquisition, and lawyers, who are permitted to plead
the case of the prisoners, but whose chief business and interest it is
to obtain their secrets and betray them. What are termed _Familiars_
of the Inquisition, are, in fact, nothing but this description of
people: but this disgraceful office is taken upon themselves by the
highest nobility, who think it an honour as well as a security, to be
enrolled among the Familiars of the Inquisition, who are thus to
be found dispersed throughout society; and every careless word, or
expression, is certain to be repeated to the Holy Office. A summons
to attend at the Inquisition is never opposed; if it were, the whole
populace would rise and enforce it. Those who are confined in the
dungeons of the Inquisition are kept separate; it is a very uncommon
thing to put two together: it is only done when it is considered that
the prolonged solitude of the dungeon has created such a depression
of spirits as to endanger the life of the party. Perpetual silence is
enjoined and strictly kept. Those who wail or weep, or even pray, in
their utter darkness, are forced by blows to be quiet. The cries
and shrieks of those who suffer from this chastisement, or from
the torture, are carried along the whole length of the corridors,
terrifying those who, in solitude and darkness, are anticipating the
same fate.
The first question put to a person arrested by the Inquisition, is
a demand, "What is his property?" He is desired to make an exact
declaration of everything that he is worth, and swear to the truth of
his assertions; being informed that, if there is any reservation on
his part (although he may be at that time innocent of the charges
produced against him),--he will, by his concealment, have incurred the
wrath of the Inquisition; and that, if discharged for the crime he is
accused of, he will again be arrested for having taken a false oath to
the Inquisition; that, if innocent, his property will be safe, and not
interfered with. It is not without reason that this demand is made. If
a person accused confesses his crime, he is, in most cases, eventually
allowed to go free, but all his property becomes confiscated.
By the rules of the Inquisition, it is made to appear as if those
condemned have the show of justice; for, although two witnesses are
sufficient to warrant the apprehension of any individual, seven are
necessary to convict him; but as the witnesses are never confronted
with the prisoners, and torture is often applied to the witnesses, it
is not difficult to obtain the number required. Many a life is falsely
sworn away by the witness, that he may save his own. The chief crimes
which are noticed by the Inquisition are those of sorcery, heresy,
blasphemy, and what is called Judaism.
To comprehend the meaning of this last crime, for which more people
have suffered from the Inquisition than for any other, the reader must
be informed, that when Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile drove all the
Jews out of Spain, they fled to Portugal, where they were received on
the sole condition that they should embrace Christianity: this they
consented, or appeared to consent, to do; but these converts were
despised by the Portuguese people, who did not believe them to
be sincere. They obtained the title of _New_ Christians, in
contradistinction to that of _Old_ Christians. After a time the two
were occasionally intermingled in marriage; but when so, it was always
a reproach to the old families; and descendants from these alliances
were long termed, by way of reproach, as having a portion of the New
Christians in them.
The descendants of the old families thus intermingled, not only lost
_caste_, but, as the genealogy of every family was well known, they
were looked upon with suspicion, and were always at the mercy of the
Holy Office, when denounced for Judaism,--that is, for returning
to the old Jewish practices of keeping the Passover, and the other
ceremonies enforced by Moses.
Let us see how an accusation of this kind works in the hands of the
Inquisition. A really sincere Catholic, descended from one of these
unhappy families, is accused and arrested by the orders of the
Inquisition; he is ordered to declare his property, which,--convinced
of his innocence, and expecting soon to be released, he does without
reservation. But hardly has the key of the dungeon turned upon him,
when all his effects are seized and sold by public auction; it being
well understood that they never will be restored to him. After some
months' confinement, he is called into the Hall of Justice, and asked
if he knows why he is in prison; they advise him earnestly to confess
and to conceal nothing, as it is the only way by which he can obtain
his liberty. He declares his ignorance, and being sent for several
times, persists in it. The period of the _Auto da Fé_, or Act of
Faith, which takes place every two or three years (that is, the public
execution of those who have been found guilty by the Inquisition),
approaches. The public accuser then comes forward, stating that the
prisoner has been accused by a number of witnesses of Judaism. They
persuade him to acknowledge his guilt; he persists in his innocence;
they then pass a sentence on him, which they term _Convicto Invotivo_,
which means "found guilty, but will not confess his crime;" and he is
sentenced to be burnt at the approaching celebration. After this they
follow him to his cell, and exhort him to confess his guilt, and
promise that if he does confess he shall be pardoned; and these
appeals are continued until the evening of the day before his
execution. Terrified at the idea of a painful death, the wretch,
at last, to save his life, consents. He is called into the Hall of
Judgment, confesses the crime that he has not committed, and imagines
that he is now saved.--Alas! no; he has entangled himself, and cannot
escape.
"You acknowledge that you have been guilty of observing the laws of
Moses. These ceremonies cannot be performed alone; you cannot have
eaten the Paschal lamb _alone_; tell us immediately, who were those
who assisted at those ceremonies, or your life is still forfeited, and
the stake is prepared for you."
Thus has he accused himself without gaining anything, and if he wishes
to save his life he must accuse others; and who can be accused but
his own friends and acquaintances? nay, in all probability, his own
relations--his brothers, sisters, wife, sons or daughters--for it is
natural to suppose that in all such practices a man will trust only
his own family. Whether a man confesses his guilt, or dies asserting
his innocence, his worldly property is in either case confiscated; but
it is of great consequence to the Inquisition that he should confess,
as his act of confession, with his signature annexed, is publicly
read, and serves to prove to the world that the Inquisition is
impartial and just; nay, more, even merciful, as it pardons those who
have been proved to be guilty.
At Goa the accusations of sorcery and magic were much more frequent
than at the Inquisitions at other places, arising from the customs
and ceremonies of the Hindoos being very much mixed up with absurd
superstitions. These people, and the slaves from other parts, very
often embraced Christianity to please their masters; but since, if
they had been baptised and were afterwards convicted of any crime,
they were sentenced to the punishment by fire; whereas, if they had
not been baptised, they were only punished by whipping, imprisonment,
or the galleys; upon this ground alone many refused to embrace
Christianity.
We have now detailed all that we consider, up to the present,
necessary for the information of the reader; all that is omitted he
will gather as we proceed with our history.