In the city of Valencia, on the thirteenth day of April, one thousand
seven hundred and fiftysix, before Dr Lorenzo Ballester, Presbyter,
Confessor to the secret prison of the Holy Office, and before the
Extraordinary Commissary for this investigation, appeared voluntarily,
and made oath to declare the truth, and preserve secrecy, a person
calling himself Joaquim Gil, scrivener, residing in the house of Felipe
Matheu in the Calle del Mar of this city, a native of Puebla de Arenoso,
in this archbishopric, of age, as he stated, twentyfour years.
Questioned, why he had demanded an audience.
Answered, that it was for the purpose of giving information to the Holy
Office respecting a certain soldier of the regiment of Asturias in the
garrison of this city. This person was called Don Antonio, and was by
birth a Neapolitan, a robust, middle sized man, with a dark complexion,
and about twentyfour or twentyfive years of age, which was all the
description the deponent could give. On the evening of the eleventh of
the present month, the deponent and the abovementioned Felipe Matheu
were in company with five soldiers at the house of the said Matheu.
Among these was the abovenamed Don Antonio, and this person declared in
conversation with the deponent that he possessed the faculty of
discovering the thief when a thing was stolen. This he had performed in
the following manner. On a certain occasion one of his friends was
lamenting the loss of some money which had been stolen from him, when
he, the said Don Antonio, replied, that he would discover the thief. He
then wrote the names of all the persons present upon separate pieces of
paper, and threw them into the fire. Those which contained the names of
the innocent were consumed, but the one containing that of the thief
remained. Nobody was able to take this out of the fire except Don
Antonio. The paper was kept from consuming by the power of the words
_Christo Señor Nuestro_, uttered by him, and it was drawn out from among
the coals by the help of this expression; _‘Ego sum. Factus est homo.
Consummatum est_.’ Besides this he knew another way of practising this
divination; and this was to collect the ashes made by the papers, and
rub them on the back of his hand, where they would leave marked the name
of the thief. Furthermore he stated that he possessed another method of
accomplishing this purpose, but this he did not explain.
This conversation having been heard by the abovementioned Felipe Matheu,
he rebuked Don Antonio, and this last replied that what he had done he
would repeat even before the Inquisitors, or, if that was of any
consequence, after communion, inasmuch as he used the words which had
been uttered by Christ. Proceeding in the conversation with the
deponent, he told him that he had some instruments in his pocket which
were useful for many things. He then drew from his right pocket a paper
folded up and containing two or three coils of something which the
deponent did not see distinctly, on account of the darkness, but felt
and handled them. The deponent asked Don Antonio where he had obtained
the above knowledge. He replied that he had got it by studying a book of
magic which he possessed; that he had learned from this the secret of
making himself invisible, and also to render a man invulnerable to
thrusts with a sword, a trial of which last he would make upon a dog or
cat and show the efficacy of it. The deponent asked him if he knew any
secrets relative to playing at ball. He answered that he did not
remember any at present, but would make some researches and call upon
the deponent at his house, when he would teach him a secret to gain the
favor of the ladies. This was agreed to, and the deponent described the
house to him. He offered him money if he would discover all his arts,
which he did for the purpose of laying the whole before the Holy Office
for the benefit of the Catholic Faith.
Questioned, if any other persons heard the above conversation, or knew
anything relating to it.
Answered, that the abovementioned Felipe Matheu heard a great part of
it, as also Joseph Masquef, scrivener, who lived in the same house,
Joseph Jordan, a servant, and two Alguacils, a father and son, who were
in the company, and whose names he did not know.
Questioned, if he had made this declaration out of any malice which he
bore to the said Don Antonio.
Answered, that he had made it solely from the impulse of his conscience,
and because he believed the above things were contrary to our Holy
Faith. He affirmed that the whole was the truth, promised secrecy, and
signed his name.