"But, Cranmer," says Hume, "was employed to persuade him into compliance. And Edward, overcome by importunity, at last, submitted. And the Primate, finding her obstinate, at last committed her to the flames."

It was this same Primate, who was equally the chief instrument in bringing, besides Anne Askew, Joan Bocher, Von Parris,-several others, both Anabaptists, Catholics, &c., to the stake. Whence, Southey himself says of him: "Cranmer held the atrocious opinion, that Death, by Fire, was the just punishment for heresy."-Such was the Founder, and chief apostle, of the Church of England. “He had been," says Neal, a Papist, a Lutheran, and a Sacramentarian; and in every change, guilty of inexcusable severities. When he was a Lutheran, he consented to the burning of Lambert, and Askew, for those very doctrines, for which himself afterwards suffered."-Hist. of Puritans.

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(C.)-The High Court of Commission.

. Let the reader compare the tribunal of the Inquisition with the tribunal of our High Court of Commission, established by Queen Elizabeth. The following is the account, which Hume gives of this institution. "Any word, or writing, which tended towards heresy, schism, or sedition, was punishable by the High Commissioners, or any three of them. They alone were judges, what expressions had that tendency. They proceeded, not by information, but by rumour, suspicion, or according to their own fancy. They administered an oath, by which the party, cited before them, was bound to answer any question, which should be propounded to him. Whoever refused this oath, though under pretext, that he might thereby be brought to accuse himself, or his dearest friend, was punishable by imprisonment. In short, an inquisitorial tribunal, with all its terrors, and iniquities, was erected in the kingdom. Full discretionary powers were bestowed, with regard to inquiry, trial, sentence, and penalty, inflicted."

Maclain, in his Notes on Mosheim, says,-speaking of this said High Commission Court: "It was empowered to make inquiry, not only by legal methods, but also by rack, torture, inquisition, and imprisonment; and the fines, and imprisonment, to which it condemned persons, were limited by no rule, but its own pleasure."-Vol. iv. p. 395.

(D.)-Count Pollnitz's Testimony.

Count Pollnitz, in his entertaining Mémoires, addressing one of his Protestant friends, gives him the following account of the Inquisition.

"You are so deeply prejudiced against the Holy Office, that I must say a few words to you upon the subject, in order,—if I can do it,—to disabuse you. To candid, and impartial, persons, this tribunal ought not to appear more formidable than any other Court of Justice. People tell a thousand tales about it,—and particularly the Protestants,— which are utterly, and notoriously, false. Only live quietly;-speak of God, and the Saints, with the respect, which is due to them ;—or at all events, do not insult them ;-give no public scandal,—and you have then nothing at all to fear from the Holy Office. In reality, is it not the case in every country, that, if men talk profanely, and act irreligiously, they would be reproved by their Consistories, if not punished by the laws? For my part, I own to you, I cannot imagine, in what that barbarity consists, which you Protestants attribute to the Inquisition. On the contrary, it is, in my opinion, the mildest, and most lenient, tribunal, that exists. For, after having spoken, entertained, or committed, the most injurious things against religion,-provided that I but go, and accuse myself of them before the Holy Office, -expressing, at the same time my repentance, and owning my errors, -behold, the Father Commissioner,—after he has represented to me, the greatness of my crime, and exhorted me, for the sake of my salvation, to change my conduct, and my opinions,—at once, absolves me. And where, I ask you, is the Protestant tribunal, that would be thus satisfied with the voluntary acknowledgment of a crime? Instead of thus absolving even the penitent criminal, there is, no where, one, but what would condemn him, if not to death, at all events to prison.

"I was formerly sixteen months in Rome: and during all that time, never did I, so much as once, hear of a single individual being arrested by the Inquisition. On the contrary, I was witness to acts of clemency in the Holy Office, such as would, by no means be shown in the Consistory of Geneva.”—Vol. iii.

THE THIRD LETTER.

MONSIEUR LE COMTE,

WHEN I spoke to you, in my preceding letters, of the origin of the Inquisition; and described its distinctive characteristics, I borrowed my account, almost exclusively, from the Reports of the Committee of the Cortes, ordaining the suppression of this celebrated institution. I could not have given you a better proof than this of my own strict impartiality. For, when, to defend a criminal, his defender derives his evidences from the very act itself of his accusation,-the accuser, surely, in such case, has no reason to complain.

And now, Sir, in order to make you acquainted with the nature of the proceedings of the Inquisition, I will cite to you, in the first place, the testimony of an authority, which is as little to be called in question, as is that of the Cortes. It is that of a learned English Protestant clergyman, the Rev. Joseph Townsend,-who travelled in Spain, during the years 1786 and 87. You may suppose, that such a man, full of prejudices, and animosity, against every thing Catholic,—would not, in his descriptions, speak very favourably of the Inquisition. The following is one of his accounts, which I will request you to consider with attention. He tells us, that at a little distance from Seville, he beheld a building, the form of which struck him. Having asked a variety of questions respecting it, a person of distinction, who accompanied him, informed him, that this strangely built edifice was called El Quemadero ;1— but, beseeching him, at the same time, by no means to tell any one, from whom he received this information." Struck with

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1 That is, the place for burning criminals.

horror at this intelligence, the humane, and pious, Mr. Townsend, then tells us, that "he at once hastened away from a spot, which, his imagination, painted all in flames.” The next day, he adds, a person in the office of Judge, communicated to him, that this building was used, as a scaffold for burning heretics; and that it was not more than four years ago, when a female underwent this punishment. She was a nun who had been guilty of different infamous actions, and crimes. Such is the narrative of this learned traveller.

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Now, my Lord, only for a moment weigh some of its absurdities. In the first place, what is an edifice, designed as a scaffold for the burning of heretics?" Such an edifice, destined to such a purpose, would, of course, burn, itself, at the first experiment; and could serve, but once. But, an edifice, serving “as a scaffold,” is really something so ridiculous, that the imagination can fancy nothing more preposterous. And then, how exceedingly amusing is the grave recommendation of the distinguished personage, requesting the Revd. traveller "not to reveal the secret!"-a secret, concerning a public building, designed for the execution of criminals by fire! Such as these are the pitiful tales, by which ignorance, and bigotry, impose upon the credulity, and weakness, of the public. I have no doubt, but the gravity of the Spaniard, upon this occasion, must have pitied, or rather ridiculed, the absurdity of the man, whose protestant piety could have swallowed so much nonsense. "You see," some good-natured wit of Seville would have said to him," you see this building, Sir; it is here, that they burn heretics, in great secrecy. But pray, for the love of God, don't say any thing about it; else, you would ruin me.” (A)

It is, again, not a little entertaining to remark, that our traveller speaks of the Quemadero, just as if it were a coffee roaster, every day, in use. His imagination (it is really so) represents this building to him, "as a place, surrounded with flames of blood." You would suppose it a slaughter-house, in the middle of a permanent, and constantly burning, funeral pile. And yet, for four years, it had never once witnessed an execution! And then, too, what was the victim? "It was a nun, convicted of different infamous crimes, and profanations."

And where, then, tell me, is the nation, where justice does

not visit such crimes as her's? The pious traveller has not thought proper to enter into any details. But, his expressions leave open a wide, strange, latitude: and it is really entertaining to hear him, first, confidently assert, that the place is destined for the burning of heretics; and then, immediately after, cite, as a proof of this, not the execution of a heretic, but of a

monster.

In certain wise, and well regulated, States of Europe, the law is, that the incendiary of an inhabited house, shall, himself, be condemned to the flames; and the public in general say: "He very well deserves it." But, at all events, think you, Sir, that the person, who is guilty of a variety of infamous crimes, both in practice, and in theory, is less criminal, in fact, than an incendiary?

But, I will cite to you another example of Mr. Townsend's abhorrence, and reprobation, of the Inquisition. It is the account of a very frightful Auto-da-fé, which took place, a little while before his Reverence arrived in Spain.

"A beggar," he tells us, "named Ignazio Rodriguez, was condemned by the tribunal of the Inquisition for having distributed certain love potions of a very indecent nature; and of having, in the administration of the infamous remedy, pronounced certain words of necromancy. It was, moreover, proved, that he had administered the disgusting dose to all ranks of persons. Rodriguez had two accomplices in his crimes, who were equally condemned, as he was,-their names, Juliana Lopez, and Angela Barrios. One of these imploring the Judges to spare her life,—they told her, that it was not the practice of the Holy Office to condemn any one to death. Rodriguez was condemned to be led through the streets of Madrid, mounted on an ass; and to be whipped. They, likewise, imposed upon him certain practices of religion; and to be banished from the Capital, for five years. The reading of the sentence was frequently interrupted by peals of laughter, in which the beggar himself joined."

"Accordingly, the criminal was led through the streets; but not whipped. On the way, and during the procession, the people offered him wine, and biscuits," (cruel creatures) "to refresh him." Such is the narrative given by Mr. Townsend.