The history of the Inquisition, as it is exercised at Goa written in French, by the ingenious Monsieur Dellon, who laboured five years under those severities ; with an account of his deliverance ; translated into English.

CHAP. XXII. (Book 22)

My fourth Audience, in which the Promotor formeth against me Con∣clusions of suffering Death.

I Had been now almost eighteen months in the Inquisition, when my Judges understanding that I was in condition to answer, caused me to be brought the fourth time to Audience, where they asked me whe∣ther I were, at last, resolved to confess what they had so long expected from me; to which I answering, That I could remember nothing else than what I had already confessed; the Promotor of the Holy Office presented himself with a Libel, to signifie to me the Informations made against me.

In all my other Examinations I had been accused, and they had con∣tented themselves to hear my Deposition without entring into any di∣scourse with me; and were immediately wont to send me back as soon as I had ended the Accusation of my self, but in this fourth Examination I was accused, and time was given me to defend my self; and they read to me in the Informations made against me, the things whereof I had accused my self. The Facts were three, I had acknowledged them of my own proper motion. There was then nothing to oppose concerning the Facts themselves, but I thought it my duty to demonstrate to my Judges, that they were not so Criminal as they imagined; I said then upon the account of what I had disputed concerning Baptism, my intention was not in the least to oppose the Doctrin of the Church: But that the passage, Vnless a man be born again of Water and of the Holy Ghost, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (Iohn 3. 5.) appearing to me very express, I had desired the explication of it. The Grand Inqui∣sitor seemed surprized at this passage, which all the World knows by heart, and I was no less surprized at his surprize. He asked me where I had that Passage? from the Gospel of St. Iohn, said I, the third Chap∣ter, and the fifth Verse. He caused a new Testament to be brought, looked for the Passage, but explained it not to me; it had been, never∣theless, easie to tell me that Tradition explained it sufficiently, since they always accounted to be Baptized, not only those who had suffered Death for our Lord Jesus Christ, without receiving the ordinary Cere∣monies of Baptism, but also those who had been surprized by Death in the desire of being Baptized, and in Repentance of their sins.

Concerning the adoration of Images, I told him that I had advanced nothing which I had not taken from the Holy council of Trent, and cited to him the passage of the 25th Session, concerning the Invocation of Saints, and Holy Images. The Images of Christ, of the Mother of Goa,* 1.1 and of other Saints, are to be retained; and due Houour and Reverence is to be paid to them, so that through their Images to which we fall down prostrate, we may adore Christ, and venerate the Saints, whose likeness they bear. My Judge seemed much more surprized at this than at the former Citation, and having search∣ed it in the Council of Trent, he shut the Book without explaining the Passage to me.

There is somewhat incomprehensible in this degree of Ignorance, in the persons who undertake to judge others in Matters of Faith; and I confess that I should have hardly believed these Facts my self although I saw them, and very well remember them, if I had not learnt by the printed Relations of Mr. Tavernier, That how reserved soever Father Ephraim de Nevers were, upon what respecteth the Inquisition, which had made him suffer so much, he could not forbear to say, that nothing had been more unsupportable to him than the ignorance of its Ministers.

The Promotor in reading the Information, had said, that besides all this which I had acknowledged, I was moreover accused, and suffici∣ently convicted of having spoken with contempt of the Inquisition, and its Ministers, and of having held disrespectful discourses concerning the Pope, and against his Authority; and concluded, that the obstinacy which I had hitherto manifested in contemning so many delays and chari∣table admonitions, which had been given to me, was a convincing proof that I had very pernicious designs, and that my intention was to teach and foment Heresie; that consequently, I had incurred the punishment of greater Excommunication, that my Goods ought to be confiscated to the Kings Exchequer, and my self to be delivered to the Secular Power, to be punished for my Crime▪ according to the Laws, that is, for to be burnt.

I leave the Reader here to imagine what effect these cruel concl••si∣ons of the Promotor of the Holy Office produced in my Soul. Yet I can assure you, that how terrible soever these words were, the death wherewith I was then threatned, appeared to me much less formidable than the continuation of my Slavery; so that notwithstanding the trou∣ble and grief which seized me, upon these conclusions pronounced a∣gainst me, I failed not to answer to the new Accusations which were e∣ven

now signified to me, that in respect of my Intentions, they had ne∣ver been bad, that I had always been a zealous Catholick, that all those with whom I had conversed in the Indies could testifie the same, particu∣larly Father Ambroise, and Father Yues, both French Capuchins, who had diverse times heard me in Confession: And I understood after my departure, that Father Yues was actually at Goa at the same time when I alledged him as a Witness of my innocence; that I had gone sixteen Leagues to satisfie the duties of Easter; that if I had nourished any He∣resie in my Heart, it had been very easie for me to propagate it in those Parts of the Indies, where any one may live and speak with perfect free∣dom, and that I would not then have chosen my Habitation in the Do∣minions of the King of Portugal; that I was so far from Dogmatically opposing Religion, that I had on the contrary entred divers times into dispute with the Hereticks for to defend it; that indeed I remembred my self to have spoken with too much Liberty of that Tribunal, before which I then pleaded, and of the Persons which possessed it; but that I was surprized they should make that a Crime, which had been treated as a trifle, when I would have confessed it almost a year and a half since; that for what concerned the Pope, I remembred not to have spoken of him in that manner which my Accusations insinuated, that nevertheless if they would tell me the particulars of it, I would sincerely confess the truth.

The Inquisitor taking me up, told me, that time should be given me, to consider of what respected the Pope, but that he could not sufficient∣ly admire my Impudence, in that I pretended to have confessed what related to the Inquisition, when it was most certain that I had not o∣pened my mouth about it, and that if I had made any Confession upon this Article, in that time when I pretended to have made it, I had not continued so long time in Prison. I remembred so perfectly what had been said, and what had been answered to me, and I was moreover so tran∣sported with anger to see my self so abused, that if they had not im∣mediately commanded me to be taken away, as soon as I had signed my Deposition, I should not perhaps have contained my self from reproach∣ing my Judge; and if I had enjoyed as much force and liberty as my Passion gave me Courage, it may be he should not have escaped with re∣proachful words.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Imagines Christi, Deipara Virginis & aliorum Sancto∣um retinendas, iis{que} debi∣um honorem & veneratio∣em impertiendam, ita ut per imagines eorum quibus pro∣••umbimus, Christum adore∣us, & Sanctos quorum il∣lae similitudinem gerunt, ve∣neremur. Sess. 25.