Records of the Spanish Inquisition, Translated from the Original Manuscripts

by Andrew Dickson White

MOST ILLUSTRIOUS SEÑORES,

I return your Excellencies the order of the date of February thirteenth, of the present year, along with the deposition of Antonia Puxant, native of Ripoll, in the bishopric of Vique, daughter of Jaime Puxant, resident in the Calle del Hom, of this city. With this you will also receive the depositions of six other witnesses to the same facts, which I have taken by the information of the abovementioned Antonia. The tardiness with which this business has been accomplished, will be overlooked by your Excellencies, on reflecting upon the extent of my occupations, and on the fact that the people from whom the depositions were taken, are of the laboring class, seldom at their houses, and of consequence difficult to find. The last named among them was not met with till the twentyseventh of March.

With regard to the declarations of Antonia Puxant, I have to state that both in her deposition, and in the ratification, she appears to have disclosed the truth with perfect ingenuousness, as far as her knowledge extended and the interrogatives went, although a mistake was made in the name of the street, in which Pepa de los Gosos performed her divinations, which she affirmed was the Calle de Nazaret; but on being reminded of the error, she informed me, after the ratification, that it was the Calle de Farlandina which is situated at the head of the street leading from the convent of Nuestra Señora de los Angeles, to the Casa de Charidad of this city.

Respecting the persons denounced by the said Antonia Puxant, both in the deposition and ratification, I have summoned only those who, as I understood from her, were present when the aforementioned Pepa de los Gosos performed her divinations before the said Antonia. As to the other persons and matters, referred to by her, I have instituted no proceedings respecting them, deeming an additional order from your Excellencies necessary to this step.

I have also to inform your Excellencies that the said Antonia Puxant is very anxious that her father, Jaime Puxant, may know nothing of her declarations, and in particular, that in the ratification, respecting Margarida Puxant, inasmuch as this woman is married to the brother of the above Jaime Puxant. She states further, that she heard sometime since that the above Margarida, her aunt, had been summoned before our Holy Tribunal for witchcraft and superstition; whether at the instance of her father or relations, or other persons, does not appear, and for this reason or some other, a discord had arisen between them.

With respect to the character and occupation of the denounced Pepa de los Gosos and the fact whether she observes the precepts of the church, I cannot transmit you any information, as I do not know the person, and have not yet been able to find her; but according to all that can be learned from the witnesses, she is undoubtedly guilty. They inform me she is very cautious in concealing herself.

In relation to the other witnesses, I have to remark the following. As to Gertrudis Poc y Marti, mentioned in the deposition of Antonia Puxant, it appears to me that he has concealed the truth in his declaration, from fear or some other motive; which opinion is confirmed by his having delayed the ratification beyond the specified time, so that it was found necessary to summon him anew. He appears, however, after he had been charged to declare the truth on the eighth of March, when the ratification took place, to have made a full and ingenuous declaration, which corresponds with the statements of the above Antonia Puxant.

As to the deposition of Rosa Llobet, it appears to be true, although nothing to the purpose. This person was summoned as she was supposed to be the lady of the house where the divinations were performed, from the description of Antonia; but I found, upon examining her, that she was not. Still some information was obtained by her means, she having informed me that a house near the one abovementioned, on the left hand, is a great resort for young females for some unknown purpose. In consequence, I have summoned the occupant, Francisca Jacoba, whom I shall hereafter refer to.

Respecting Madalena Masllorens, I believe that she has declared sincerely the whole truth. It is to be observed that this person is not the proprietor of the house in the Calle de Farlandina in which Pepa de los Gosos practised her arts, as was thought by Antonia Puxant.

With relation to Francisca Jacoba, who occupies the first floor of the first house in la Riera Alta, on the left hand as you go from the Convent of the Capuchins, she confesses that the said Pepa de los Gosos has visited her house upon business, as many other persons have done, but affirms that she never practised there, any performance or divination with cards; yet from her manner of answering the interrogatories, and her warmth in defending the said Pepa, talking at great length in her favor, and declaring she had been accused falsely, I have no doubt she is a friend of hers, and, therefore, that her testimony is very suspicious. In this, however, I may be mistaken.