Zoraya. All the humiliations and sorrows of defeat—we have known them. They have changed our mosques into churches, our courts into kennels, our schools into stables! They have broken our aqueducts, drained our fish-ponds, burned our mills and wine-presses, cut down our orchards and made such a desert of the flowery plain of Granada that a bee cannot gather honey upon it! But that was not enough for us—we must have misery, famine and the brutality of soldiers! There must be refined cruelty at least, so you invented the Inquisition.—Thanks to that, you can assure yourselves with joyful hearts that we are punished like hardened heathens, that we perish in your oubliettes and that we are burned alive in the name of your Savior, who taught only mercy and goodness! (Pointing to the Calvary) And, that prophet—your God!—crucified by the Inquisitors of his time!—A martyr, whom you make an executioner! (There is a movement of protest among the Inquisitors, two of whom rise indignantly. Zoraya turns toward the Christ on the Calvary and addresses it) God of the Christians!—They have nailed thy feet and thy hands, so that thou canst not come to the aid of the unfortunate! But, if thou canst not tear thyself from the cross, cry at least unto these infamous judges that they need not look elsewhere for Hell and the gathering of witches—Here is the Hell where they sacrifice human creatures, where they offer to thee as hymns the lamentations of the tortured, and as incense the smell of burning flesh! Here is Hell, Hell with its furnaces, Hell with its damned, Hell! Hell! with its demons!
She falls choking and weeping upon the seat at left. The Inquisitors, protesting, rise and advance into the middle of the scene, all speaking at the same time.
All. Blasphemy!—Blasphemy!
Albornos. Shall we let this Saracen continue to insult the Tribunal?
Calabazas. And the Church!
Ibarra. The sentence!—Eminence! the sentence!
Ximénès. (Who remains seated) Be calm!—She is not alone a blasphemer to the Governor and me.—She is a sorceress!
Albornos. That has been proven!
Ximénès. Not yet. I must have more testimony in the form of a confession.
Padilla. Then torture her!