and behold me, in the
moment when I accounted myself the victor in the unequal contest,
accused of the dread sin of heresy. Words lightly weighed--uttered by me
in prison under stress--had been zealously gathered up y spies.

On one occasion I had exclaimed: "I think God sleeps where my affairs
are concerned, and I am in danger of losing my faith." The Holy Office
held this to be a scandalous proposition, offensive to pious ears.

Again, when I heard of the arrest of my wife and children I had cried
out in rage: "God sleeps! God sleeps! There cannot be a God!"

This they argued at length to be rank heresy, since it is man's duty
positively to believe, and who does not believe is an infidel.

Yet again it seems I had exclaimed: "Should things so come to pass,
I shall refuse to believe in God!" This was accounted blasphemous,
scandalous, and not without suspicion of heresy.

Upon these grounds the Supreme Council of the Inquisition at Madrid drew
up its impeachment, and delivered it to the inquisitors of Aragon at
Saragossa. These at once sent their familiars to demand the surrender of
me from the Grand Justiciary, in whose hands I still remained. The Grand
Justiciary incontinently refused to yield me up.

Thereupon the three Inquisitors drew up a peremptory demand, addressed
to the lieutenants of the Justiciary, summoning them by virtue of holy
obedience, under pain of greater excommunication, of a fine in the case
of each of them of one thousand ducats, and other penalties to which
they might later be condemned, to deliver me up within three hours to
the pursuivants of the Holy Office.

This was the end of the Justiciary's resistance. He dared not refuse
a demand so framed, and surrender of me was duly made. But the news
of what was doing had run abroad. I had no lack of friends, whom I
instantly warned of what was afoot, and they had seen to it that the
knowledge spread in an inflammatory manner. Saragossa began to stir at
once. Here was a thinly masked violation of their ancient privileges. If
they suffered this precedent of circumventing their rights, what was
to become of their liberties in future, who would be secure against an
unjust persecution? For their sympathies were all with me throughout
that trial.

I was scarcely in the prison of the Holy Office before the dread cry of
Contrafueros! was ringing through the streets of Saragossa, summoning
the citizens to arm and come forth in defence of their invi