Records of the Spanish Inquisition, Translated from the Original Manuscripts

by Andrew Dickson White

3. The witnesses who depose against him, turn all his oaths into swearing, ‘by the head of God,’ which is the truth.

4. Even though, (quod expresse negat) he may have at sometimes sworn ‘by the head of God,’ yet it was done in the heat of passion, and inasmuch as de jure prima motus non sit in homine, nothing bad can be imputed to him, which is the truth.

5. In addition to this, the above witnesses are single witnesses, disagree among themselves, and are not deserving of credit, inasmuch as non det fides testibus singularibus, which is the truth.

6. The prisoner, although a Frenchman, is still a good Christian, and not at all of suspicious faith. He hears mass on the Sundays and holidays appointed, as many can testify who have seen him; which is the truth.

7. He also confesses and takes the sacrament every year at Easter, and other times at the hands of the Guardian of the Convent of St Francisco and the Sacristan, as may be seen by his certificate of confession given at the last Lent, and which he now presents as a testimonial in his favor solely; which is the truth.

8. There is also the same reason for believing that he has confessed on every Easter, as can be seen by the books of confession kept by the Curates; which is the truth.

9. He who states one falsehood is not to be believed in any other assertion, and inasmuch as the witnesses against the prisoner affirmed that he did not confess throughout the year, but was excommunicated, and declared so, for not complying with the ordinances, and that he did not wear a rosary, all which has been shown to be false by his certificate, and the rosary found upon him; for this reason they cannot be believed, when they state that he does not hear mass, and that he swears and blasphemes; which is the truth.

10. The prisoner suspects that one of the witnesses against him is a young man of about twenty years of age, and a mortal enemy of the prisoner. This, added to the circumstance of his being a minor, should cause his testimony to be rejected; which is the truth.

11. The testimony of the other witness also should be rejected, as he supposes this person to be his wife, who leads a quarrelsome life with him, and bears him great enmity; which is the truth.

12. The prisoner supposes that the cause of the misfortune in which he now finds himself, is, his having given his wife a good beating on the festival of the Resurrection, on which account she probably has directed her malice against him, and suborned the other witnesses; which is the truth.