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. XXXVI. (Book 36)

I presented diverse Petitions to the Inquisition to obtain my Liberty, which is at last granted to me.

THE day after my arrival into the Galley, I was shaved, cloathed, and employed in labour as the other slaves; but how laborious soever this manner of life was to me, the liberty of seeing and speaking to the whole world, rendred it much less troublesome to me than the horrible Solitudes of the Inquisition. According to the terms of my Sentence, I was to pass 5 years in this rude slavery, and there was no great appearance that any favour would be shewed to a man who had spoken against the Integrity and Infallibility of the Holy Office. Neverthe∣less the desire which all unhappy persons naturally have to see their mi∣sery ended, made me think of some means to recover my Liberty much sooner than I was otherwise probably to expect it; I first enquired whe∣ther there were any French at Lisbon, who might serve me in the design which I had. And having learned that Mr.—first Physician to the Queen of Portugal, was not only favoured by that Princess, but also by all the Grandees of the Court, I addressed my self to him, and begged of him that he would grant me his Protection; this he did in the most obliging manner in the World, offering not only his interest in all things which lay in his power, but also his Purse and his Table, where he did me the honour to give me a place, enchained as I was, whensoever liberty of

going to him was granted me; so that the Habit of a Gally-slave rendred me not more contemptible in his esteem. He had also the goodness to visit me in Prison, and administer comfort to me, whensoever his affairs permitted him.

I writ in the next place into France, to my kindred, to give them an account of the deplorable condition whereinto I had been for a long time reduced, that they might sollicit, either by themselves, or by others, those persons whom they might imagine to have any interest with the Queen of Portugal, who I hoped would interpose in my behalf. I must not here omit, that the Liberty which was afterwards granted to me, was no other than the effect of the powerful Protection of Mr.—In effect Mr.—who was naturally generous and beneficent, knowing that he had the goodness to interess himself in obtaining my Liberty, redou∣bled his diligence, to cause it to be obtained the sooner. I presented, by his advice, an ample Petition to the Inquisitors, wherein I briefly decla∣red the causes of my Imprisonment, and requested them to moderate the excessive severity which I pretended to have been exercised against me in the Indies.

No answer was returned to this Petition, no more than to three or four others, which followed it in less than two months; and the reason of this silence was, That the Office of the Inquisitor General was then vacant, and Monsieur Don Verissimo de Lencastea, Archbishop of Braga, af∣terwards Archbishop of Lisbon, and at present Cardinal, having been but lately promoted, had not yet taken possession.

This Prelate, for whose coming I made continual Vows, as knowing that he alone could determine my business, arrived at last at Lisbon, to∣wards the Holy Week: But since in that time the Tribunals are not open, I was yet forced to have patience till after Quasimodo Sunday. As soon as the Inquisitor General had entred upon the Functions of his Office, I presented a new Petition to him, which was carried to the Supreme Council; but all which it produced, was, that Don Verissimo said, That he could not believe that what I related was true, there being no appear∣ance that they would have condemned a man to serve 5 years in the Gallies for matters of so little consequence.

This answer, of which an account was given to me, produced so much the more joy in me, because every one assured me, that the Prelate with whom I had to do, was equally noble, learned and generous; all this induced me to cause a new Petition to be presented to him, to intreat him to give himself the trouble to read my Process, that so he might by that means, perceive that I had offered nothing to him but what was most true; this proposition met with great difficulties in the Council, none of them being willing to consent to this review of my Process, which I de∣sired,

because all the Tribunals of the Inquisition being supreme, and 〈◊〉〈◊〉 appeal lying from one to the other, this would be to intrench upon the Authority of the Inquisition of Goa, and to go about to reform its De∣crees; this was so great an obstacle, that I had never obtained my desires, if the Inquisitor General had not strongly sollicited in favour of me.

At last, after many earnest addresses to him, he suffered himself to be overswayed by the follicitations of diverse Persons of Quality, and chiefly of his Niece, the Countess of Figveirol, who had a very particular esteem for the first Physician of the Queen. He carried then my Process to be read at length in his presence, and being convinced that I had proposed nothing false to him, and withal, perceiving the injustice and ignorance of my Judges, who had condemned me upon pretence of my ill intention, he ordered that I should be restored to perfect liberty, writing with his own hand these words, at the bottom of my last Petition, Seia solto como pede, e se vapor a France, that is, Let him be set at Liberty as he desireth, and let him return to France.