A History of the Inquisition of Spain; vol. 1

[647] Arch. gén. de la C. de A., Reg. 3684, fol. 12, 23, 27, 31, 35, 38, 39, 42, 47-9, 51-3, 55-8, 60, 63, 72, 98.

In 1502, with characteristic faithlessness, the inquisitors at Teruel proposed to collect all the debts due to the confiscated estates, but Ferdinand intervened and sternly forbade it.—Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Libro 2, fol. 16.

[648] Bibl. nacionale de France, fonds espagnol, 80, fol. 4.

[649] Libro Verde de Aragon (MS., fol. 67).

[650] Libro Verde (Revista de España, CVI, 281-2).

[651] Zurita, Añales, Libro XX, cap. lxv.

[652] Trasmiera, Epitome de la santa Vida y relacion de la gloriosa muerte del Venerable Pedro de Arbués, pp. 15, 32, 50 (Madrid, 1664).—Villanueva, Viage literario, XVIII, 50.

[653] Arch. gén. de la C. de A., Reg. 3684, fol. 37, 38.

[654] Memoria de diversos Autos (Appendix).—Libro Verde (Revista de España, CVI, 281-6, 288).—Raynald Annal. ann. 1485, n. 23, 24.—Zurita, Añales, Lib. XX, cap. lxv.—Juan Gines Sepúlveda, Descriptio Collegii Hespanorum Bononiensis.—Blancas, Aragon. Rerum Comment. p. 268.—Bibliothèque nat. de France, fonds espagnol, 80, fol. 33.

In spite of these miracles and of innumerable others which manifested the sanctity of Arbués, the Holy See was distinctly averse to his canonization. A papal brief even ordered the removal from the cathedral of the sanbenitos of the assassins and strenuous efforts were required to procure its revocation.

Repeated investigations were made by successive popes without result—at the request of Charles V in 1537; of Philip III in 1604, 1615 and 1618; of Philip IV in 1622 and 1652, until at length in 1664 he was beatified (Trasmiera, pp. 98, 99, 133, 137, 139). The matter then rested for two centuries until, in 1864, it was taken up again and finally, June 29, 1867, he was canonized by Pius IX (Dom. Bartolini, Comment. Actor. Omnium Canonizationis, Romæ, 1868).

It is significant that the Inquisition did not await the tardy action of Rome. Instructions of the Suprema in 1603, 1623 and 1633 show that his feast was regularly celebrated with prescribed offices (MSS. of Royal Library of Copenhagen, 218b, p. 257) and, during the 17th and 18th centuries, he is constantly spoken of, in the documents of the Inquisition relating to the feast, as San Pedro Arbués.

[655] Memoria de diversos Autos, Auto 25 (Appendix).

[656] Zurita, loc. cit.

[657] Memoria, loc. cit.

[658] Gams, Zur Geschichte der spanischen Staatsinquisition, p. 34.—Bibl. nationale de France, fonds espagnol, 81.

[659] This brief is printed in the Boletin, XVI, 368 by Padre Fidel Fita, who is in error in assuming its obedience in France from the case of Juan de Pedro Sánchez, reported in an essay of mine on the Martyrdom of Arbués. This was merely an instance of friendly co-operation between the Inquisitions of Toulouse and Saragossa and occurred too early to be the result of the papal letters which were not received in Córdova until May 31, 1487.

We have seen (p. 191), by a case occurring in 1501, that Manoel of Portugal considered that there was no obligation to return fugitives from the Inquisition; it was a matter of comity to be decided on the merits of each case. There was a similar one in 1500, and when, in 1510 and 1514, fugitives were asked for, under plea that they were wanted as witnesses, Manoel refused to surrender them without absolute pledges that they should suffer no harm (Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Libro 1; Libro 3, fol. 85, 107, 110).

When Portugal obtained an Inquisition, the two inquisitors-general, in 1544, came to an agreement, with the assent of the respective monarchs, which superseded extradition. The fugitive was to be tried in the country where he was captured and the Inquisition from which he had fled was to furnish the evidence.—Bibl. nacional, Seccion de MSS. X, 257, fol. 218.

[660] Arch. gén. de la C. de A., Reg. 3684, fol. 75.—Amador de los Rios, III, 269.

[661] Arch. gén. de la C. de A., Reg. 3684, fol. 103.

[662] Ibidem, fol. 102 (see Appendix). It was Martin de Santangel, not Luis, who took refuge in Tudela. He was not caught, but was burnt in effigy, July 28, 1486.

[663] Memoria de diversos Autos, Auto 29 (Appendix).

In after years, Ferdinand was less inclined to invade friendly territory. February 25, 1501, writing to the Archdeacon of Almazan, Inquisitor of Catalayud, about an inhabitant of Fitero, a town just beyond the border, he says that if the culprit can be arrested within his jurisdiction it can be done, but there must be no deceit and no scandal.—Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Libro 1.

[664] Zurita, Añales, Lib. XX, cap. lxv.—Llorente, Hist. crít. Cap. VI, Art. ii, n. 1.—Trasmiera, p. 101.

[665] Arch. gén. de la C. de A., Reg. 3684, fol. 67, 68, 83, 86.

[666] Memoria de diversos Autos, Auto 3 (see Appendix).

[667] Zurita, loc. cit.—The order to receive the tribunal in the Aljafería bears date January 12, 1486 (Arch. gén. de la C. de A., Reg. 3684, fol. 83). Subsequently it was transferred to the archiepiscopal palace in order to let the Aljafería be occupied by a member of the royal family, but the inquisitors complained and were allowed to return in 1498. They encroached upon the royal apartments, much to Ferdinand’s disgust, as expressed in a letter of September 30, 1511. In January, 1515, he ordered them to leave the palace and rent accommodations in the city, but finally they obtained permanent possession.—Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Libro 1; Libro 3, fol. 155, 321, 322.

[668] Arch. gén. de la C. de A., Reg. 3684, fol. 76.

[669] Memoria de diversos Autos, Auto 27, n. 3 (see Appendix).

[670] Memoria de diversos Autos, Autos 10, 11, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 (Appendix).

[671] Bibl. nacionale de France, fonds espagnol, 81.—Memoria de diversos Autos, Auto 43, n. 6; Auto 45, n. 1.

[672] Libro Verde (Revista de España, CVI, 287, 589.—Ibid. MS. fol. 65-74).

[673] Memoria de diversos Autos, Auto 36, n. 1.—Bibl. nacionale de France, fonds espagnol, 80.

[674] It is impossible to construct a full catalogue of the victims. Llorente undoubtedly exaggerates when he asserts (Hist. crít. Chap. VI, Art. v, n. 1) that the executions numbered more than 200 and so does Amador de los Rios (III, 266) in saying that the greater part of those who appeared in the Saragossa autos from 1486 to 1492 were accomplices in the murder. The sentences abstracted in the Memoria show that but few of them were concerned in it.

Anchias, the notary of the tribunal, in his account of the affair, only enumerates as put to death three treasurers of the fund, five assassins and four accomplices besides Sancho de Paternoy and Alonso de Alagon who escaped with imprisonment through friendly influences (Libro Verde, Revista, CVI, 287). The indications in the Memoria are incomplete as, after May, 1489, the crimes of the culprits are not stated but, so far as it goes and comparing it with the Libro Verde and other sources, I find nine executed in person, besides two suicides, thirteen burnt in effigy and four penanced for complicity. Besides these are two penanced for suborning false witness in favor of Luis de Santangel and seventeen for aiding or sheltering the guilty, and two for rejoicing at the crime. Altogether, fifty or sixty will probably cover the total of those who suffered in various ways.

The sanbenitos of the convicts, with inscriptions, were hung as customary in the cathedral and remain there to the present day (Amador de los Rios, III, 266). The swords of the murderers are still to be seen attached to the pillars near the entrance to the chancel (V. de la Fuente, in Oviedo’s Quinquagenas, I, 73). One of the latter was removed in 1518, by order of Leo X, and when the commissioner who had performed the act died shortly afterward it was popularly regarded as a visitation of God (Archivo hist. nacional, Inquisicion de Toledo, Hacienda, Legajo 10).

[675] Libro Verde (Revista, CVI, 250-1).—Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Libro 1—Arch. gén. de la C. de A., Reg. 3684, fol. 100.—Garibay, Compendio histórial, Lib. XIX, cap 1.—Amador de log Rios, III, 405.

[676] Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Libro 3, fol. 237; Libro 4, fol. 223.

[677] Libro Verde (Revista, CV, 568).