To comprehend the meaning of this last crime, for which more people have suffered from the Inquisition than for any other, the reader must be informed, that when Ferdinand and Isabella of Castile drove all the Jews out of Spain, they fled to Portugal, where they were received on the sole condition that they should embrace Christianity:  this they consented, or appeared to consent, to do; but these converts were despised by the Portuguese people, who did not believe them to be sincere.  They obtained the title of New Christians, in contradistinction to that of Old Christians.  After a time the two were occasionally intermingled in marriage; but when so, it was always a reproach to the old families; and descendants from these alliances were long termed, by way of reproach, as having a portion of the New Christians in them.

The descendants of the old families thus intermingled, not only lost caste, but, as the genealogy of every family was well known, they were looked upon with suspicion, and were always at the mercy of the Holy Office, when denounced for Judaism,—­that is, for returning to the old Jewish practices of keeping the Passover, and the other ceremonies enforced by Moses.

Let us see how an accusation of this kind works in the hands of the Inquisition.  A really sincere Catholic, descended from one of these unhappy families, is accused and arrested by the orders of the Inquisition; he is ordered to declare his property, which,—­convinced of his innocence, and expecting soon to be released, he does without reservation.  But hardly has the key of the dungeon turned upon him, when all his effects are seized and sold by public auction; it being well understood that they never will be restored to him.  After some months’ confinement, he is called into the Hall of Justice, and asked if he knows why he is in prison; they advise him earnestly to confess and to conceal nothing, as it is the only way by which he can obtain his liberty.  He declares his ignorance, and being sent for several times, persists in it.  The period of the Auto da Fe, or Act of Faith, which takes place every two or three years (that is, the public execution of those who have been found guilty by the Inquisition), approaches.  The public accuser then comes forward, stating that the prisoner has been accused by a number of witnesses of Judaism.  They persuade him to acknowledge his guilt; he persists in his innocence; they then pass a sentence on him, which they term Convicto Invotivo, which means “found guilty, but will not confess his crime;” and he is sentenced to be burnt at the approaching celebration.  After this they follow him to his cell, and exhort him to confess his guilt, and promise that if he does confess he shall be pardoned; and these appeals are continued until the evening of the day before his execution.  Terrified at the idea of a painful death, the wretch, at last, to save his life, consents.  He is called into the Hall of Judgment, confesses the crime that he has not committed, and imagines that he is now saved.—­Alas! no; he has entangled himself, and cannot escape.