MATTHEO MAGRE, _Sec’y_.
* * * * *
In the town of Tremp, bishopric of Urgel, on the twentyfifth day of
August, one thousand six hundred and thirtyfive, in the morning, before
the Licenciate Joan Torroella, Presbyter Commissary of the Holy Office
of the Inquisition in the town of Salas,--appeared according to summons
and swore formally to declare the truth, a man who asserted his name to
be Joan Compte, a native and resident of the town of Talarn, in the
abovementioned bishopric, of age as he stated, fiftyfive years or
thereabout.
Questioned, if he knew or conjectured the cause of his being summoned to
appear.
Answered, that he neither knew nor conjectured.
Questioned, if he knew or had heard that any person had spoken or done
anything which was, or appeared to be, contrary to our holy Catholic
Faith, and evangelical doctrine preached and taught by the holy Catholic
Roman Church, or against the just and free exercise of the Holy Office.
Answered, that he knew nothing of the matters respecting which he was
questioned, except that on the eve of St Bartholomew last, being in the
town of Timian in the abovementioned bishopric of Urgel, he went to the
tavern of Pitieu, and saw there a man, by occupation a brazier, with a
grey beard, which person was well known to the deponent, he having seen
and entertained him in the town of Calan, where he exercised his trade
and had labored for the deponent. The name of this person deponent did
not know, never having heard it mentioned. At the same place was a young
man whom the said brazier stated to be his journeyman. These two were
sitting at table and eating soup, which, being despatched, deponent saw
the said person empty an earthen dish of bacon and onions into a
frying-pan, and the said brazier asked deponent if he would eat with
him, to which he replied that it was the eve and fast of St Bartholomew,
at which time it was forbidden by the church to eat such food.
Notwithstanding this, the said brazier and his servant did, in the
presence of the deponent, eat the said bacon and onions, a small portion
of which was observed to remain in the dish. This remnant the said
persons placed on a piece of bread and presented it in a plate to the
hostess. This done, the brazier and his servant went away to the _plaza_
of the town, and deponent remained in the tavern with the hostess
abovementioned. This is the truth according to the oath of the witness,
and being read in his presence, is declared by him to be correctly
written. Witness declares that he does not make this statement out of
malice to any one. Secrecy being enjoined upon him, he promised to
observe it; and he being unable to write, I, the said Commissary, sign
in his name.
JOAN TORROELLA, _Commissary_.
* * * * *
In the town of Semiana, bishopric of Urgel, on the twentyeighth day of
August, one thousand six hundred and thirtyfive, in the morning, before
the Rev. Sr. Licentiate Joan Torroella, Presbyter Commissary of the Holy
Office in the town of Salas, appeared according to summons and swore
formally to declare the truth, a woman calling herself Geronima Aymara,
wife of Pedro Aymar y Piteu, husbandman, native and resident of the town
of Semiana, of age, as she stated, forty years or thereabout.
Questioned, if she knew or conjectured the cause of her being summoned
to appear.
Answered, that she supposed it to be in order to learn whether some
persons had eaten flesh in her house on the eve of St Bartholomew the
Apostle, respecting which she could state, that on the time specified,
two persons had been at her house, of whose names she was ignorant, but
remembered that one was an old man and the other a youth, both by
occupation braziers; the said youth asked witness to cook for them a
dish of salted bacon which sat upon a table. Witness demanded in reply
why they wanted to eat bacon on that day. The young man repeated his
demand to have the bacon cooked for they meant to eat it. Witness
answered that she was unwilling, as it was at such a time. The young man
again demanded to have the bacon cooked, and told her to put onions
along with it in the pot. Whereupon witness proceeded to cook the bacon,
adding one _dinero’s_ worth of onions, which she bought for that
purpose. Having done this, she placed the victuals on the table before
the said persons, and at this moment entered Juan Compte of the town of
Talarn; as witness was baking on that day and was obliged to attend to
her oven, she did no more than set the victuals on the table before the
said persons, and being asked by Juan Compte for something to eat,
answered that he must wait till she returned from the oven, which he
did, and upon her return she found the above two persons at table, one
of whom ordered her to take away what remained of the meat, and witness
saw that there was left a bit of the bacon and a few mouthfuls of the
onions she had cooked, the bacon being thrust into a piece of bread.
After this the two persons aforesaid left the house, having been seen to
eat their meal by the abovementioned Joan Compte, who was present all
the time. Furthermore witness stated, that she believes she heard her
husband say, on the evening of the Wednesday before, that he heard the
above persons declare they meant to eat that piece of bacon, which they
had procured, the next day, which was St Bartholomew’s, as aforesaid,
and that her husband replied, they could not, as it was a fast. This is
the truth according to the oath of the witness, and being read in her
presence is declared by her to be correctly written. Witness further
states that she does not make this declaration out of malice to any one.
Secrecy being enjoined upon her, she promised to observe it; and she,
not being able to write, I, the said Commissary, sign in her name.
The Licentiate
JOAN TORROELLA, _Commissary_.
* * * * *
In the village of Sanserin, parish of Semiana, in the morning, before
the abovementioned Licentiate Commissary Joan Torroella, appeared
according to summons and swore formally to declare the truth, a woman
calling herself Isabel Ramoneda, wife of Pedro Ramoneda, husbandman, a
resident of the said village of Sanserin, of age, as she stated, thirty
years or thereabout.
Questioned, if she knew or conjectured the cause of her being summoned
to appear.
Answered, that she supposed it to be for the purpose of ascertaining
whether certain Gascons had eaten flesh in Semiana, on last St
Bartholomew’s eve, concerning which, she could state, that on Thursday
last, which was St Bartholomew’s day, there came to her house in the
evening a Gascon, whom she believes to be named Pedro, an old man, and
by trade a brazier. He had come, as he stated, from the town of
Semiana; and standing at the door of the house of this witness, there
passed by the servants of Francisco Rocabruna, apothecary of Semiana,
when the said Gascon demanded of the lads whether they knew if the young
man who had been apprehended at Semiana, was released, to which they
replied, ‘No,’ and cried out ‘Ha! Lutheran, eat meat on a fast day!’ The
lads having passed, he said to witness that he had been eating, and that
he was sorry or not sorry, witness does not remember which of the two.
No other person was present. This is the truth according to the oath of
the witness, and being read in her presence is declared by her to be
correctly recorded. Witness declares that she does not make this
statement out of malice towards any one. Secrecy being enjoined upon
her, she promised to observe it. She being unable to write, I, the said
Commissary, sign in her name.
The Licentiate
JOAN TORROELLA, _Commissary_.
* * * * *
In the village of Sanserin, on the same morning, appeared according to
summons and swore formally to declare the truth, a man calling himself
Juan Monco, husbandman, native and resident of the village
abovementioned, of age, as he stated, twenty years or thereabout.
Questioned, if he knew or conjectured the cause of his being summoned to
appear.
Answered, that he supposed it to be for the purpose of learning whether
certain Gascons had eaten flesh in the town of Semiana on the eve of St
Bartholomew last, concerning which he could state, that on the evening
of the said day of St Bartholomew, being near the house of Pedro
Ramonera, where there was a Gascon, whose name was unknown to the
witness, which Gascon was an old man, corpulent, and by trade a brazier,
there passed by the servant of the apothecary Rocabruna, of Tremp, whose
name is unknown to witness. This servant of Rocabruna was heard by the
deponent to say to the said Gascon, ‘Ha, Lutheran! eat flesh on a fast
day!’ And deponent heard the said Gascon reply, ‘Yes, I have
eaten,’--but does not know whether this was heard by the said servant of
Rocabruna. This is the truth according to the oath of the deponent; and,
being read in his presence, is declared by him to be correctly recorded.
Deponent further states that he does not make this declaration out of
malice to any one. Secrecy being enjoined upon him, he promised to
observe it; and being unable to write, I, the said Commissary, sign in
his name.
The Licentiate,
JOAN TORROELLA, _Commissary_.
* * * * *
In the town of Semiana, at the same time, before me the said Licentiate
and Commissary, Joan Torroella, appeared according to summons and swore
formally to declare the truth, a man calling himself Pedro Aymar y
Piteu, native and resident of the above town of Semiana, of age, as he
stated, fiftysix years or thereabout.
Questioned, if he knew or conjectured the cause of his being summoned to
appear.
Answered, that he supposed it to be for the purpose of learning whether
certain Gascons had eaten flesh in his house on the day of St
Bartholomew last, concerning which he had been informed by his wife that
the two Gascons referred to, had stopped at his house, and eaten meat on
that day. He furthermore stated that the said Gascons, whose names he
knew not, as he had never seen them before, being at supper at his house
the evening previous, which was Wednesday, one of the said Gascons being
an old, and the other a young man, both braziers,--the old man said to
the wife of the deponent that he meant to have some meat the next day,
which was St Bartholomew’s, and wished her to cook some salted bacon.
Whereupon deponent replied, they could not, as it was a fast. The old
man answered that they meant to eat notwithstanding, which induced the
deponent to believe that he had a license to eat meat, or had some
infirmity; on which account he made no more remonstrances, and on the
evening of the same day, returning home from his work, his wife informed
him that the Gascons had eaten meat, and that the old man had gone away,
and the young man was taken and carried to prison. This is the truth
according to the oath of the witness, and being read in his presence is
declared by him to be correctly recorded. Witness further states, that
he does not make this declaration out of malice to any one; and secrecy
being enjoined upon him, he promised to observe it. From his inability
to write, I, the said Commissary, sign in his name.
The Licentiate,
JOAN TORROELLA, _Commissary_.
* * * * *
On the seventeenth day of September, one thousand six hundred and
thirtyfive, at three o’clock in the afternoon, Pedro Ginesta, of
Auvergne, bishopric of St Flor, was by order of the Inquisitors put in
the secret prison of the Inquisition and intrusted to the care of P.
Fontanella, Alcayde of the said prison, who examined the prisoner and
allowed him nothing prohibited by his instructions. The articles found
upon him, were, two shirts, a pair of breeches, a purse, one _dinero_
and three _sueldos_, which have been given in charge to the Camara de
Pablo.