Records of The Spanish Inquisition Part 9

MIGUEL RODRIGUEZ.

TRIAL OF LEONARDO PHELIPE,

FOR LUTHERANISM.

MOST ILl.u.s.tRIOUS SIR,

I, the undersigned Secretary, who, in the absence of the Fiscal of this Holy Office, exercise his duties, appear before your Excellency, and declare, that, from the information which I now present, it appears, and is manifest that Phelippe Leonart, a needlemaker, and a Frenchman by birth, now resident in the city of Tarragona, is a Lutheran heretic, commonly swearing, and denying G.o.d and the Saints, ridiculing the Holy Sacraments of the Church, never confessing himself, for which he has been declared excommunicated, and committing other crimes.

On which account, I request that your Excellency will order him to be arrested and confined in the secret prison, in order that the ends of justice may be accomplished.

MATTHEO MAGRE, _Sec'y_.

In the city of Tarragona, on the fifteenth day of April, in the year of our Lord one thousand six hundred and thirtyseven, appeared voluntarily Tecla Leonarda, wife of Felipe Leonart, needlemaker, a Frenchman by birth, and inhabitant of this city of Tarragona, of age, as she stated, fifty years, or thereabout. She made the following declaration.

'Senor Commissary, I am the wife of Felipe Leonart, needlemaker, a Frenchman, and have been married to him about twenty years. I cannot learn that during all this time he has confessed himself once, unless compelled to do it during Lent. He has many times been declared excommunicated for not confessing, and for neglecting to comply with the precepts of the church. He formerly lived in Valencia, in the Calle de la Mar, Parish of St Tomas. He never confessed himself here, and was reminded of his neglect by the Rector. Upon being rebuked by me and his son, and advised to confess, he broke out into blasphemies against G.o.d and the Saints, with such violence that he appeared more like a demoniac than anything else. It being suggested to him that G.o.d did not prosper him because he did not attend ma.s.s, nor wear a rosary, nor hear sermons, nor confess, but swore, and blasphemed, and that if the Holy Inquisition knew of this he would be apprehended, he replied that the devil must help him; that he did not care for me nor the Inquisition, that he would not confess, and that G.o.d gave him nothing which the devil would give.

In particular, last Pa.s.sion Week his son carried him to the Jesuits to confess; but, on finding to what place he was conducting him, the said Felipe abandoned him and refused to confess, greatly offending his son and the confessor. He has given so many proofs of not being a Christian, that many of his apprentices have left him, declaring that they would not live in a house where G.o.d was not venerated and worshipped.'

The deponent further declared that on making a full confession last Lent, of all the sins of her husband and her own negligence in denouncing him, she was directed to give information of the whole to this Holy Office, and was refused absolution unless she complied, and that there were many more things to be told which she could not recollect, as they happened so long since.

The above is the truth according to the oath of the deponent, and is stated by her not out of malice, but solely to discharge her conscience.

It was read to her, and declared to be faithfully recorded. She promised secrecy, and I, the Commissary, sign for her.

The Canon, JUAN FERRER, _Commissary_.

Before me--

MIGUEL GIBERT, _Not'y of Tarragona_.

In the city of Tarragona, on the day, month, and year above specified, before the abovementioned Commissary of this Holy Office, appeared, according to summons, and swore formally to declare the truth, a woman calling herself Maria Leonart, wife of Joseph Leonart, an inhabitant of this city of Tarragona, of age, as she stated, sixteen years, or thereabout.

Questioned, if she knew the cause of her being summoned to appear.

Answered, that she supposed it to be for the purpose of making inquiry respecting the life and conduct of Felipe Leonart, her father-in-law.

She was married about four months ago to Joseph Leonart, his son, and what she knew of the matter in question was this;--the said Felipe Leonart was accustomed to swear a thousand times a day, with and without cause. He would swear 'by the head of G.o.d;' and the deponent had heard him declare, many times, that all his good luck happened in the name of the devil, and not of G.o.d. The deponent had asked him why he did not confess, observing that to kneel at the foot of a confessor, and relate his sins, was to relate them to G.o.d; and the said Felipe Leonart replied that this was all babble; that he believed just as he pleased. As to hearing ma.s.s, he would take it upon trust; that the priests said in their sermons just what they chose, and that they did nothing but trouble the common folks. Some one asking him if he was not afraid of dying, he replied that if he knew that there was a tavern in the other world, he should wish to die immediately. The deponent advised him to confess himself, as otherwise he would be declared excommunicated. He replied that he would not confess, and in fact did not, the last Lent, although his son attempted to carry him to confession. His common oaths were 'the sacred host,' 'the hours of G.o.d,' 'the head of G.o.d.' His common helpers were the devils; saying, 'by the help of the devil I will do this,' &c. So that during the whole s.p.a.ce of four months the deponent has never known a word or action of a Christian to proceed from him, never kneeling when the signal is given, nor taking off his cap, nor leaving off eating, although requested to do so by his wife and the deponent.

The above statement is not made from any but conscientious motives, and on being read, was declared by the deponent to be correctly recorded.

She promised secrecy, and I, the said Commissary, sign for her.

The Canon, JUAN FERRER, _Commissary_.

Before me--

MIGUEL GIBERT, _Not'y of Tarragona_.

In the city of Tarragona, on the seventeenth day of the month abovementioned, and the same year, before the said Commissary of the Holy Office, appeared, according to summons, and swore formally to declare the truth, a man calling himself Joseph Leonart, an inhabitant of Tarragona, of age, as he stated, twenty years or thereabout.

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

Answered, that he supposed it to be for the purpose of learning the bad conduct of Felipe Leonart, a Frenchman, and his father. For a number of years the deponent and his mother had concealed many heavy offences committed by him against the Holy Catholic Faith.

The said Felipe Leonart was a great swearer, saying 'The head, soul, and body of Christ' a million times every day, declaring that he did not fear G.o.d, the king, nor anybody; and that if he knew there was a tavern in the other world, he should not care if he were to die, although his body were burnt at Carraxet. Everything which succeeded well with him, he ascribed to the devil and not to G.o.d, saying, 'The devil will give me food, for I do not want anything from G.o.d,' and, 'The devil will give me luck in this;' so that his patron and helper in everything was the devil. He never confessed, and the last Lent the deponent attempted to carry him to the convent of St Francisco; but on perceiving that he was leading him to confession, he ran away from him. He declared it nonsense to relate one's sins to a confessor, and that a man should tell of nothing but what he pleased. The deponent had never seen him more than once at ma.s.s. He wore no rosary, nor any sign of a Christian. He had been declared excommunicated for not complying with the precepts of the church, in this city, in Barcelona, and in Valencia. He declared that the preachers were troublers of the people. At one time, in Valencia, he went to bed after tiring himself with swearing, and told the family that a woman, a monkey, and a young man then in the house, had appeared to him in bed, scratched his face all over and thrown him down stairs. They found him at the foot of the stairs with his face scratched, and believed that this had been done by the devil, from his mentioning him so often. The deponent and his wife had advised him to remove his residence lest the Holy Inquisition should punish him; to which he answered that he did not care for the Inquisition. Finally, the said Felipe Leonart lead such a life that he appeared more like a Lutheran than a Christian.

The above is the truth according to the oath of the deponent, who does not make this declaration out of malice or ill will against his father, but solely to discharge his conscience, and to obey the commands of his confessors. It having been read, he declared it to be correctly recorded, and signed his name.

JOSEF LLEONART.

Before me--

MIGUEL GIBERT, _Not'y of Tarragona_.

CALIFICACION.

A person of ordinary rank, and of an infected nation has been declared, by persons living with him, to have confessed but once for twentytwo years, and at this time by compulsion. On many occasions he has been declared excommunicated for not complying with the precepts of the Church.

The same witnesses, as they cannot perceive that he goes to confession, rebuke him for it, whereupon he abjures G.o.d and the Saints in such a manner that he appears possessed. He wears no rosary, does not hear ma.s.s, nor confess, and declares that the devil helps him. On being rebuked and threatened with a denunciation to the Inquisition, he speaks contemptuously of it, declares that he will not confess, and that G.o.d gives him nothing that the devil will give.

Every day he swears by G.o.d without occasion, and affirms that all which happens well to him is done in the name of the devil and not of G.o.d.

Being told to go to ma.s.s, he replied that he would take it upon trust; that the preachers said just what suited them; that he believed what he pleased; that they did nothing but make trouble; that he did not wish for anything from G.o.d which the devil could give him; and that it was nonsense to relate a man's sins to a confessor, or anything more than what a man pleased. Wherever he has lived he has been excommunicated for not following the precepts of the Church.

Some one asking him if he was not afraid of dying, he answered that he did not fear G.o.d, and that if he knew that there was a tavern in the other world, he should not regard dying immediately.

In the Royal Palace of the Inquisition of Barcelona, on the seventh day of May, one thousand six hundred and thirtyseven, the Inquisitor, Dr Domingo Abbad y Huerta presiding sole in his morning audience, ordered the Calificadores of this Holy Tribunal, Father Maestro Onofre Ferrer, and Father Maestro Chrysostomo Bonamich, both Conventuals of this city to appear before him.

Having examined the propositions above specified, they declared unanimously that the above person is a scandalous, presumptuous blasphemer, and a formal heretic, who ought to be proceeded against.

MAESTRO FR. ONOFRE FERRER.

MAESTRO FR. CHRYSOSTOMO BONAMICH.

Before me--

DAMIAN FONOLLEDA, _Sec'y_.

In the Royal Palace of the Inquisition of Barcelona, on the seventh day of May, one thousand six hundred and thirtyseven, the Inquisitor, Dr Domingo Abbad y Huerta presiding sole in his afternoon audience, having examined the information received by the Commissary of Tarragona against Phelipe Leonardo, needlemaker, a Frenchman, and an inhabitant of that city,--ordered, that this person be arrested and confined in the secret prison of this Holy Office to take his trial in form, and that his apprehension be intrusted to the Commissary of the abovementioned city, who shall transmit him from place to place and from the hands of one Familiar to another.

Before me--