The Last Look: A Tale of the Spanish Inquisition, Page 2

  CHAPTER TWO.

  THE INQUISITION.

  At the time our story commences, the inquisitors scarcely suspected howfar the opinions they so much dreaded had extended. They had satisfiedthemselves hitherto with burning Jews, Moors, and the poorer class ofChristians, whose opinions did not agree with those of the RomanCatholic Church. Thus, when Don Gonzales Munebrega, soon after hisarrival at Seville on ecclesiastical business, paid the visit which hasbeen described to Dona Mercia de Cisneros, he was considerably startledat hearing her young daughter utter expressions which showed that shehad been taught doctrines of a heretical character. The whole familywere in his power. He had once loved Dona Mercia; she had rejected him.How should he now use that power? Tumultuous feelings agitated hisbosom as he mounted the richly-caparisoned mule which stood ready toconvey him to the convent where he lodged.

  This was not the only visit he paid to Dona Mercia; but, thoughcourteous to her guest, she was ever on her guard, and carefully keptLeonor out of his way. For once in his life he was baffled. Wheneverhe paid his visits the same caution was observed. At length he wascompelled to take his departure from Seville. Years rolled on, but henever forgot the remarks made to him by the young Leonor de Cisneros.He had hated her father, he had been rejected by her mother. It isdifficult to describe the feelings with which he regarded the daughter,still less those which he had entertained for the mother. Were theyholy and pure? The lives of thousands of cardinals, bishops, andpriests of all degrees, is the best answer to the question.

  Don Gonzales Munebrega was rising in the Church. He had becomeArchbishop of Tarragona. His heart had become harder and harder; inreality an infidel--an alien from God--a hater of all that was pure andholy, he thought that he was becoming devout. He was resolved that ifhe was not on the right way to heaven, no one else should get there byany other. The war was now to begin against heresy and schism--termsabused, especially the latter, at the present day almost as much as inthe darker days of Popish supremacy. There are to be found clergymen ofthe Church of England who can, unconcernedly, see many of their flockgoing over to the Church of Rome, whom they have possibly led half-waythere; and yet should any of the rest of their congregation, disgustedwith their Ritualistic practices, or fearing the effect of their falseteaching on their children, strive to set up an independent place ofworship, or to join any already established body of Christians,anathemas are hurled at their heads, and they are told that they areguilty of the heinous crime of schism--schism, in the sense they giveit, a figment of sacerdotalism, priestcraft, and imposture. But doesthe crime of schism not exist? Ay, it does; but it is schism from thetrue Church of Christ, the Church of which He is the head corner-stone,the beautified in Heaven, the sanctified on earth; from God's people,who are with Him in glory, who are with us here below, who are yet to beborn; from the glorious company of the redeemed; from Jesus Christ, theLamb of God, slain for the sins of the whole world, the risen Saviour,the one Intercessor between God and man. Those are guilty of trying tocreate schism who tell God's people--trusting to the same precious bloodshed on Calvary--that it is a crime to worship together, to commemoratethe Lord's death together, to put out the right hand of fellowship, tocall each other brethren; ay, those are the causers of schism, againstwhose evil machinations Christian men have cause to pray.

  But we must return to Spain. The year 1552 arrived. During it an_auto-da-fe_ was celebrated at Seville, but as only a few poor Moors andJews were burnt, it did not create much sensation; still there was nolack of spectators to see the burning. Several criminals were condemnedto do penance on the occasion, and among them was the once celebratedpreacher, Dr Egidius, whose crime was being true to his Lord andMaster. The high conical cap and yellow robe in which he appeared couldnot make him ridiculous in the eyes of many of his fellow-citizens, evenof those who did not sympathise with his opinions. At length he wasliberated, and once more mixed with his friends at Seville. It wasnecessary, however, for him to be very cautious, lest, as his movementswere watched, he should draw suspicion on them. Soon after he wasreleased, he set out for Valladolid, where his wounded spirit was muchrefreshed by finding the progress the Gospel had made in that city andits neighbourhood. Over-fatigued by his return journey, he died shortlyafter his arrival in Seville. God, however, did not leave His Church inSeville without a minister. Constantine Ponce de la Fuente, on thedeath of Egidius, obtained the post of Canon-Magistrate in the Cathedralof Seville, previously held by him. This made him the principalpreacher in the place, and gave him great influence, which he used inspreading the truth of the Gospel. He published numerous evangelicalworks suited to the understanding of the least educated of hiscountrymen. His system was not so much to attack the errors of Rome, asto bring the light of the Gospel to shine on their minds through hisaddresses and writings. In Valladolid and the surrounding towns andvillages, men of talent and eminence were equally zealous in spreadingProtestant opinions. They were embraced by the greater part of the nunsof Santa Clara and of the Sistercian order of San Belem, and convertswere found among the class of devout women, called in Spain _beatas_,who are bound by no particular rule, but addict themselves to works ofcharity. One of the most active propagators of the reformed doctrinesin the surrounding country was Don Carlos de Seso, who had for importantservices been held in high honour by Charles the Fifth, and had marriedDona Isabella de Castilla, a descendant of the royal family of Castileand Leon. These few examples are sufficient to show the progress madeby the Reformation at that time among the highest and most intelligentclasses of the community in Spain--made, too, in spite of theever-watchful eyes of the officers of the Inquisition, andnotwithstanding the almost certain death with torture, and by fire,which would be the lot of any denounced by its familiars.

  In Spain, in those days, as at present, it was the custom for ladies ofrank to receive guests at their houses on certain days of the week.Dona Mercia de Cisneros was holding such a reception one evening.Guests of all opinions came. There were a large number of Protestants;they knew each other to be Protestants, but to the rest of the gueststheir opinions were unknown. Among the guests were two young men who,though apparently strangers to each other, were attracted by the sameobject--admiration for Dona Leonor, the youthful daughter of the house.Don Francisco de Vivers, the elder of the two, was an inhabitant ofSeville, of considerable wealth and excellent family. He was consideredamiable and generous; and was, moreover, handsome and agreeable in hismanners, dressed well, and possessed a house and equipages surpassed byfew. He was not at all insensible of his own qualifications for winninga young lady's heart, and was, therefore, greatly puzzled at discoveringthat Dona Leonor seemed insensible to them. Don Francisco loved theworld and his wealth far too much to give his heart to God; and DonaLeonor had resolved not to marry any one who would not make up his mindto do so. Possibly too, he might scarcely have heard of the reformeddoctrines; he was a firm Roman Catholic. It was a faith which exactlysuited him. He found it so easy for a person of his wealth to clear offany sins which might trouble his conscience.

  The other young man who has been spoken of seemed to be a stranger inthe place, though several affectionate greetings which he receivedshowed that he was not so altogether. He was dressed in black, theusual costume of a lawyer in those days, and though not so handsome asDon Francisco, his broad forehead, clear eye, and firm mouth, showedthat he was far his superior in intellect. Dona Leonor no longer turnedaway her head when he approached her, as she had done when Don Franciscodrew near, but received him with a friendly smile, while an acuteobserver might have discovered that a blush suffused her cheek while hespoke. Don Francisco watched him at a distance, and an expressiondenoting angry jealousy came over his countenance as he saw the intimateterms which existed between the two. He little dreamed, however, of thecause of the earnest love which one felt for the other: it was the pureholy faith which both enjoyed, the same common trust, the same hope, thesame confidence in the one ever-loving Saviour.
They believed that theywere to be united, not only for a time, but for eternity. Theiracquaintance had commenced during a visit Dona Leonor had paid to somerelatives residing in the town of Toro, of which place AntonioHerezuelo, the young man who has been described, was an advocate. Itsoon ripened into affection. No barrier existed between them, for theacute lawyer had already been converted to the truth, and, head andheart alike convinced, held firmly to it as the anchor of his soul.Dona Mercia did not oppose their union, for she perceived that AntonioHerezuelo possessed courage, determination, and a superior intellect,beside a gentle and loving disposition--qualities calculated to secureher daughter's happiness, and which would enable him to protect herduring the troublous times which she feared might be coming on Spain.She knew well what had happened, and what was occurring in theNetherlands, as did all the educated persons in Spain; but that did notprevent those who had the Gospel offered to them from accepting itstruths, or from endeavouring to make them known among their companions.Those who were in the Church, and whose position enabled them to preach,promulgated Gospel truth openly, while laymen spoke of it to theirfriends in private, or addressed small assemblies of persons whoappeared disposed to receive it.