Records of The Spanish Inquisition Part 22

FR. FELIX COLL

MOST ILl.u.s.tRIOUS SIR,

Since my letter of the fourteenth of September, to your Excellency, I have conducted myself with great circ.u.mspection on account of the charges I made to your Excellency against myself for faults committed against the Holy Tribunal. And as I am hindered from presenting myself at the feet of your Excellency, I again place myself in the same condition, under the shelter and patronage of the Holy Tribunal, in order that your Excellency, as the father of all piety and clemency, may clear my conscience and soul. Your Excellency must know then, that during a year which I lived in the town of Cardona as preacher of the convent, I was in the practice of confessing a certain female named Vitoria Sala, who was afflicted with many scruples, and in order to remove them at the pressing instances of her husband, I suffered myself to be led away by the devil so far as to behave with much impropriety towards her, as on many occasions when she was at my feet, I uttered to her very unchaste language, touching her bosom and face with my hands.

This I did to the amount of seventy times or thereabout. Also, being without the confessionary, I gave her many embraces, and solicited her to love me. Although it be true that I practised these evil deeds, yet by the mercy of G.o.d I did not injure her honor or reputation.

Furthermore at the same time I was so forgetful of my duty, that, falling unhappily in company with a female named Marianna Guer y Savall, who came to the holy confessionary to confess her faults to me, which faults were committed in my own person, the devil was so crafty that he caused me, a miserable sinner, to be led away in ten or twelve instances to speak language of endearment to her, and touch her bosom and face.

These, father of all clemency, are my depraved actions in the Holy Sacrament of penitence. Instead of directing these two souls in the way of salvation, I led them to the devil by reason of my incontinence, malice, and little fear of G.o.d. And now, as G.o.d has granted me time, place, and occasion, I throw myself, like another Prodigal Son, at your feet, that like a loving father you may extend toward me whatever may be requisite to punish my heavy sins and offences, promising henceforth, to amend my evil ways, that the light of G.o.d may shine more clear. May G.o.d prosper and guard the infinite years of your Excellency.

Barcelona, May seventeenth, 1698.

Your most unworthy servant, who kisses the feet of your Excellency, FR. FELIX COLL.

P. S. Although I write from this city, yet I have come hither to throw myself at the feet of your Excellency. My residence is in the Convent of St Francisco in Gerona.

In the Imperial College of Tortosa, on the eighteenth day of March, seventeen hundred, the Inquisitor Licentiate, Don Juan Joseph Hualte presiding sole in the afternoon audience, having examined the information and proceedings in this Inquisition against Fr. Felix Coll, an Ecclesiastic and Confessor, of the Order of St Francisco, and a resident in the Convent of that order in Gerona,

Ordered that he be reprehended, admonished, and directed to refrain from confessing females in private; submitting this sentence to the Council.

Before me--

DON JUAN DE CASTILLA.

[_Further proceedings were carried on against this person, but suspended by his death._]

In the town of Besahi, on the twentysecond day of February, one thousand seven hundred and eightyfour, before me, Estevan Castanir, Presbyter and Curate of the Parochial Church of St Vicente, and me, Lorenzo Terrader, Presbyter and Canon of the Collegial Church of Besahi, Notary, sworn to preserve secrecy and perform faithfully our duties, appeared, according to summons, and made oath to declare the truth, and preserve secrecy, Juan Ricart, porter royal, a native of the above town, of age, as he stated, thirtyfive years or thereabout.

Questioned, if he knew the cause of his being summoned to appear.

Answered, that he could conjecture nothing.

Questioned, if he knew that any person had said aught which was, or appeared to be contrary to our Holy Catholic Faith and Evangelical Doctrine.

Answered, No.

He was then given to understand that information had been received and sworn to in this Holy Office, that a certain person had, accompanied by others, been to a certain castle in search of enchanted money; that they had signed a compact with the devil; that on reading a book the devil had appeared to them and promised them riches; and that he, the said Juan Ricart could give intelligence of these and many other things. For this reason he was admonished, in the name of our Lord and his glorious and blessed Mother, to bethink himself and declare the whole truth.

Answered, that in June or July, 1783, he learned that Narcisso Ma.n.a.lich, Advocate, with some a.s.sociates were about to visit the devil in search of money; which information he had communicated to the Alcalde of this town; that these persons went to the castle of Madremana, where the devil appeared to them. They read from a book, and the devil asked what they wanted. The one who was reading (name not known) answered, 'Twentyfive millions.' The devil replied they must give themselves to him. They signed the agreement, and were allowed six years to live. They then demanded the money and were told that they must bring him a certain stone (_piedra de espiritu_). They went afterwards to the castle of Esponella, read the book, and the devil came. He asked what they wanted.

They answered, the money which he had promised. He asked for the stone, and they replied that some one had stolen it. He then exclaimed, 'Fulfil your promise, and I will fulfil mine,' and disappeared. All this the deponent learned from the account of Ma.n.a.lich and his companions.

Some days afterwards, the greater part of the same persons were a.s.sembled at the house of Juan Traver de Ursall, in Barcelona, where the deponent was present to watch their proceedings, by the direction of the Alcalde of Besahi. He was also to endeavour to get possession of the book, and have them all apprehended. The other persons present were the said Ma.n.a.lich, Juan Fraver de Ursall, his wife, a young man of the family, and Monsieur Josef. It was resolved in the meeting, to choose a new reader, and practise further operations. A person in the town of Junquera was elected, and it was resolved to go to the castle of Benda, on the next Tuesday. The deponent went to the Alcalde with this intelligence, and he despatched a party, with the deponent, to lie in wait for them at a place on their route, but they had taken the alarm and avoided the deponent's company. The deponent was informed by Tomas Riera that he had gone by night to Gerona, to get some nails out of the coffin of a child of three or four years, and that on beginning to dig, there appeared to him many visions. Ma.n.a.lich told the deponent that he believed the devil never cheated any one, but performed all his promises. The abovementioned Tomas Riera had slept with Monsieur Josef, and he was accustomed to hold conversations with the devil in his own language; and the persons aforementioned had informed the deponent that Monsieur Josef had obtained money of the devil.

Questioned, what was the age, personal appearance, &c., of the said Narcisco Ma.n.a.lich, and of all the others. [_Here follows the description._]

The above is the truth according to the oath of the deponent, &c.

JUAN RICART, _Porter Royal_

Before me--

LORENZO TERRADER, _Canon, and Presbyter Notary, appointed for this investigation_.

In the town of Besahi, bishopric of Gerona, on the twentyfourth day of February, one thousand seven hundred and eightyfour, before the abovementioned officers sworn to preserve secrecy and perform well our duties, appeared, according to summons, and made oath to declare the truth and preserve secrecy, Miguel Berga, advocate, a native of this town, aged thirtythree years.

Questioned, if he knew or conjectured the cause of his being summoned to appear.

Answered, that he supposed it to be on account of Ma.n.a.lich's affair.

Questioned, if he had written any letter or communication to the Holy Office of the Inquisition, giving an account of any crime within his knowledge; what were the contents of that paper or communication, and by whose hand was it written.

Answered, that he had written three letters to Dr Ignacio Sans Pabordre, at Figueras; that in the first, dated July fourteenth, 1783, he stated that the said Ma.n.a.lich had told him he had gone twice with his a.s.sociates to the castle of Esponella after money, and that both times the devil had appeared to them; that they had all signed a bargain with him, and were promised the money when they returned to the castle.

The second, dated August fourth, 1783, stated that Ma.n.a.lich had declared that the sixth day of that month was fixed upon to visit the castle of Monroig, in search of money.

The third, dated the thirteenth of the same month, informed that he had seen Ma.n.a.lich, but could give no further intelligence respecting the affair, and that something more might be learned from Juan Ricart.

The deponent went on to declare that Josef Llonella informed him that he and the said Ma.n.a.lich, accompanied by Jaime Gubert, a young man of Besahi, went to Montpelier to meet a Jew, in order to learn from him the means of obtaining money by diabolical art. The Jew gave them a maggot within a tube, and told them a maggot must be added to the tube every day to be eaten, and that if they swore, which they did, to make a league with the devil, and perform what he directed them, written upon a paper, they should have what money they pleased. They signed in blood an agreement with the devil, written in his own characters, and promised never to go to confession. Notwithstanding they did everything according to the Jew's directions, they got nothing.

The deponent continued in these words;--'Some time afterwards I called upon Ma.n.a.lich, endeavouring to bring him into the company of the abovementioned Dr Pabordre Sans, or Dr Revira, Canon of the Cathedral of Gerona, but he replied to me that he would not see either of them till he got the money; and furthermore informed me that they and the devil had fixed upon the sixteenth of August for the time to receive the treasure; that the devil appeared to them dressed in red, and promised if one of their number were given up to him, they should have thirtyone millions; that Ma.n.a.lich offered himself, and the devil gave him eight years to live, but this period was not to begin till the money was received. I exclaimed, "The devil will deceive you." He answered that the devil's promises were truer than the Faith, and further told me that to raise the devil, the following things were necessary;--a book which directed everything that was to be said, a loadstone, a _piedra de espiritu_, six nails from the coffin of a child of three years, six tapers of rosewax made by a child of four years, the skin and blood of a young kid, an iron fork with which the kid was to be killed, camphorated high proof brandy, lignumvitae charcoal to make a fire, and hazel rods. Intelligence of all this I gave to Sr Domero Gerones, the Vicar Boada, and the Alcayde. The Alcayde sent Juan Ricart, his porter, to join them, and learn the day fixed upon for going, after the money, in order that he might take them prisoners. This Juan Ricart went with them for some days, and gave notice when the Jew arrived who was to read the book. The Alcayde set a watch for them, which was discovered, and the Jew escaped.

'After this, I endeavoured again to bring Ma.n.a.lich into company with Dr Pabordre Sans. This I effected, but found that Ma.n.a.lich would not declare the truth to the Doctor. He gave me to understand that he still retained the book and instruments enumerated above, and they should let the business lie by for some time, without speaking about it, and then renew it and get the money of the devil. Afterwards, when I censured his conduct, he tried to make me believe that all he had told me was a fabrication, but I have always believed it to be the truth.'

The above having been read to the deponent, is declared by him to be correctly recorded, and the truth according to the oath sworn by him.

Signed,

MIGUEL ANTENTAS Y BERGA, _Advocate_.

Before me--

LORENZO TERRADER, _Presbyter and Canon, Notary in this investigation_.

In the town of Besahi, on the thirtieth day of May, one thousand, seven hundred and eightyfour, before the abovementioned officers, sworn to preserve secrecy and perform faithfully their duties, appeared, according to summons, and made oath to declare the truth and preserve secrecy, Josef Gircos, Advocate of Besahi, a native and inhabitant of the said town, of age, as he stated, thirtysix years or thereabout.

Questioned, if he knew or conjectured the cause of his being summoned to appear.

Answered, No.

Questioned, if he knew that any person had said or done aught which was, or appeared to be contrary to our Holy Catholic Faith, and Evangelical Doctrine.