OF THE LEARNED MEN WHO HAVE BEEN PERSECUTED BY THE INQUISITION.
Among the many evils which the Inquisition has inflicted on Spain, the
obstacles which it opposes to the progress of the arts and sciences, and
literature, are not the least deplorable. The partisans of the holy
office have never allowed this, yet it is a certain truth. The
apologists, of whom I speak, maintain, that the Inquisition only opposes
the invasion of heretical opinions, and leaves those who do not attack
the doctrines of the faith in perfect liberty,--consequently, that it
does not influence the arts and sciences. If this pretension was just,
there are many excellent works which might be read, and which are only
prohibited because they contain doctrines opposed to the opinions of the
scholastic theologians.
St. Augustine was certainly a very zealous partisan of religion in its
greatest purity, yet he made a great distinction between a dogmatic
proposition and one not defined. He acknowledged that in the second case
a Catholic was free to maintain the argument for, or against, according
to the dictates of his reason. St. Augustine did not suppose that the
freedom of opinion would be opposed by such theological censures as the
qualifiers of the holy office have established in modern times. They
have had great influence on the prohibition of books, and even on the
condemnation of their authors. They are employed against the first, on
pretence that they contain propositions _favourable to heresy, ill
sounding, savouring of heresy, fomenting heresy, or tending to heresy_;
against the authors, in declaring them suspected of having adopted
heresy in their hearts.
In the present time the qualifiers have extended the prohibitions, by
saying that the books contained propositions _offensive to persons of
high rank, seditious, tending to disturb public tranquillity, contrary
to the government of the state, and opposed to the obedience which has
been taught by Jesus Christ and his apostles_.
These censures are generally passed by scholastic theologians. The work
of _Filangieri_, entitled _The Science of Legislation_, was censured by
Fray Joseph de Cardenas, a Capuchin, who thought himself competent to do
it, though he had only read the first volume of the Spanish translation,
which contained only half of that of the original.
The prohibition applies most to those books which treat of theology, and
the canonical laws, particularly if they are well written, and contain
the doctrines taught by the fathers, the councils, and even by the popes
who reigned in the seven first centuries, but which have been forgotten
or opposed by the theologians of the barbarous times, who wished to
establish the system of the union of the two powers in the person of the
sovereign pontiff.
The theological censures likewise attack works on philosophy, on civil
and natural law, and on the people. Those books which have been
published on mathematics, astronomy, physic, and other subjects which
depend upon these, have not been more highly favoured. The Spaniards
have, consequently, been deprived of the advantages which other nations
have derived from all the recent discoveries.
Since the establishment of the holy office, there has scarcely been any
man celebrated for his learning, who has not been prosecuted as a
heretic. In the list which follows, I shall not (unless particular
circumstances render it necessary) include any learned man who has been
prosecuted for having embraced Judaism, Mahometanism, or any sect
equally prohibited by the Catholic religion. Those only will be
mentioned who suffered in their liberty, honour and fortunes, from not
having adopted erroneous scholastic opinions.
The names are disposed in an alphabetical order, that the reader may be
enabled to find the article he wishes to consult more quickly.
_Abady-la-Sierra_ (D. Augustin), bishop of Barbastro. See Chapter 29.
_Abady-la-Sierra_ (D. Manuel), archbishop of Selimbria, _ibid._
_Almodobar_ (Duke of). See following Chapter.
_Aranda_ (Count d'). _Ibid._
_Arellano_ (D. Joseph Xavier Rodriguez d'), archbishop of Burgos. See