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. II. (Book 2)

The Apparent causes of my Imprisonment.

I Had stayed at Daman, a Town of the East-Indies possest by Portu∣gueze, for to refresh my self a little from the fatigues which I had suffered in my Voyages, and that I might put my self into a condition of continuing my Travels: But in the same place where I had hoped to have found rest, I found the beginning of much greater troubles, than all those which I had hitherto experienced. The true cause of all the Persecutions which the Ministers of the Inquisition made me endure, was an ill-grounded jealousie of the Governour of Daman. It is not hard to judge that this reason was never alledged in my process: Yet for to satisfie the passion of this Governour they made use of divers pretexts; and they found at last the the means of seizing me, and removing me from the Indies, where perhaps otherwise I had passed the rest of my days.

It must be acknowledged, that altho these pretexts, of which they made use, were very weak for persons instructed in the Faith, or in Law; they were nevertheless too sufficient for such persons as the Por∣tugeze are, in respect of their prejudices and maxims. Insomuch as up∣on this account I thought them my self so plausible, that I discovered not the true reasons of my detainment, but in the sequel of the affair.

The first occasion which I gave to my Enemies, to make use of the Inquisition to destroy me, was a discourse which I had with an Indian Monk, a Divine, of the Order of St. Dominick. But before I proceed any farther, I must premise, that altho my manners have not always been conformable to the Holiness of that Religion wherein I was Bap∣tized, I have yet been always strongly addicted to the Religion of my Forefathers, I mean to that of the Catholick, Apostolick and Roman Church; and that God hath given to me more affections to the instructi∣ons which are received in it, than the greatest part of Christians ordi∣narily

have. Consequently I have always taken pleasure both to hear and read: And I never read any thing with so much diligence, as the Holy Scriptures, as well of the Old, as of the New Testament, which I commonly carry about with me. I had also taken care not to be ignorant of the School Divinity, because in long Travels there is a necessity of continual conversation with all sorts of People; among whom may be found some of all Religions and Sects: And I freely dis∣puted with Hereticks and Schismaticks, whom I found in my way. I carried with me Books fit for this purpose, and among others, an Abridg∣ment of Divinity, writ by Father Don Peter de St. Ioseph Feuillant; and I was sufficiently instructed by discourse, and reading, during my great leisure at Sea, and stay which I made in divers places of the Indies. I thought my self then in a condition of conversing, or even disputing with profest Divines, and I fell very innocently into the Snare in talking with this Monk.

I lodged with the Dominicans because of those earnest desires which they had made to me; and I lived with them with much kindness and familiarity. I had served them also upon diverse occasions in acknowledg∣ment of the honour which they did me in desiring my company, and in return of the friendship which they testified to me. We were ofttimes in dispute, and that which I had with the aforesaid Monk, was concern∣ing the effects of Baptism: We both agreed in the three species of Bap∣tism, which the Catholick Church acknowledgeth, and it was only in way of discourse, not for that I doubted of it, that I would deny the effect of that Baptism, which they call Flaminis; and for to maintain my opinion, I alledged that passage, Whosoever is not born again of Water and of the Holy Ghost, &c. Nevertheless I had scarce ended my discourse but the good Father retired himself without answering one word, as if he had some pressing business, and went, according to all appearance, to inform against me to the Commissary of the Holy Office. I afterwards discoursed several times with this same Monk, and as he testified no coldness towards me, I was far from believing he had done to me so bad an Office.

I was oftentimes present in the Assemblies, where they carry about little Trunks, upon which is painted the Image of the Blessed Virgin, or that of some other Saint. The Portugueze are wont to kiss the Image which is upon this Trunk; and those who have Devotion to these Con∣fraternities, put their Alms into these Boxes. Here it is free to give any thing or not; but none can omit kissing the Image without giving scan∣dal to the company. I was not then above 24 years old, and I had not all the Prudence requisite to a person who liveth among Strangers, to whose Customs it is fit to conform as much as may be; and as I was not

then used to these sorts of Ceremonies, I refused ofttimes to take and kiss these Boxes; from whence they rashly inferred, that I contemned the Images, and consequently that I was an Heretick.

I was with a Portugueze Gentleman, on a time when he was about to let his sick Son blood: I saw that this young man had in his Bed the Image of the H. Virgin made of Ivory; as he loved this Image extreme∣ly, he kissed it often, and addressed his speech to it. This way of ho∣nouring Images is very ordinary among the Portugueze; and it created ••ome reluctance in me, because in effect the Hereticks interpreting it ill, this hinders them as much as any thing from returning to the Church. I said then to this young man, that if he did not take heed, his Blood would fly upon the Image; and he answered me, That he could not find in his heart to lay it by; I represented to him that this would hin∣der the Operation: Then he reproached me that the French were Here∣ticks, and that they adored not Images: To which I answered, That I believed we ought to honour them, and that if it were permitted to use the word Adore, Yet this ought only to be in respect of our Lord Jesus Christ: in which case also it were necessary, that this Adoration should be referred to Jesus Christ represented by these Images: and for this I cited the Council of Trent, Session 25. It happened about the same time that one of my Neighbours coming to visit me, and seeing a Crucifix upon my Pillow, said to me, Monsieur, remember to cover this Image, if by chance you take any Woman into Bed to you, and to take heed of it. How is it, said I, that you imagine by this mean to hide your self from the eyes of God? Are you of the mind of those debauched Wo∣men which are among you, who after they have shut their Chaplets and Boxes of Reliques, believe they may without any crime abandon themselves to all excess: Go Monsieur, have more noble thoughts of the Deity; and think not that a little Linnen can hide our sins from the eyes of God, who seeth even the secrets of our heart. In fine, what is this Crucifix, but a piece of Ivory? We stopt there, and my Neighbour having withdrawn, acquitted himself very well of his pretended duty in going to accuse me to the Commissary of the Inquisition. For it is to be known, that all persons living in Countrys subject to the jurisdiction of the Holy Office, are obliged under pain of the greater Excommunica∣tion, reserved to the Grand Inquisitor, to declare within the space of thirty days, all which they have seen to be done, or heard to be spoke, touching the cases of which that Tribunal takes Cognizance. And be∣cause many people might slight this punishment, or doubt whether they have actually incurred it▪ for to oblige people to obey this Order punctu∣ally, the Inquisitors will, that those who fail in making this Declaration within the time limited by their Constitutions, shall be esteemed Guilty,

and consequently punished, as if themselves had committed the Crimes which they did not reveal; which causeth that in the matter of the Inqui∣sition, Friends betray Friends, Fathers their Children, and that Chil∣dren, by an indiscreet Zeal, forget all the respect which God and Na∣ture oblige them to bear to those who gave them life.

The obstinacy which I shewed in refusing to wear a Chaplet about my Neck, contributed no less to make them believe I was an Heretick, than my refusal to kiss the Images; but that which served above all the rest as a motive to my imprisonment, and my condemnation, was, that be∣ing pressed in company, where a discourse was raised concerning the justice of men, I said that it much less deserved that name, than the name of injustice; that men judging not but according to appearances, which are too often deceitful, were subject to make very unequitable judg∣ments; and that God alone knowing things as they are, there is none but God who can truly be call'd just. One of those before whom I spake, took me up, and told me, that generally speaking what I advance was true, that nevertheless there was this distinction to be made, that if true Justice were not to be found in France, they had this advantage above us, That among them might be found a Tribunal whose decrees were no less just, and no less infallible, than those of Jesus Christ. I then un∣derstanding very well that he meant the Inquisition, answered, Think you that the Inquisitors are less men, and less subject to their passions than other Judges. Speak not to me so, answered this zealous defender of the Holy Office; if the Inquisitors sitting upon the Tribunal are Infallible, it is because the Holy Ghost presides over their decisions. I could no longer bear a discourse, which appeared so unreasonable to me, and to prove to him by an example, that the Inquisitors were nothing less than what he pretended, I related to him the Adventure of Father Ephraim de Nevers, Capuchin and Apostolick Missionary into the Indies, who as Monsieur de la Boulay le Gou, relateth in the History of his Travels, was arrested by the Inquisition purely out of envy, about seventeen years be∣fore, where they had kept him, and very ill treated him for a long time; and I concluded, in telling him, that I made no doubt that this Monk was more Vertuous and Learned than those who had kept him thus in Prison, without so much as permitting him to read his Breviary. I added, that I esteemed France happy in refusing ever to admit this severe Tribunal, and I thought my self so, in not being subject to its Jurisdiction. This discourse failed not to be exactly related to the Father Commissary; and this added, to what I have already said, served afterwards to make my Process.