ries and shrieks of
those who suffer from this chastisement, or from the torture, are
carried along the whole length of the corridors, terrifying those who,
in solitude and darkness, are anticipating the same fate.

The first question put to a person arrested by the Inquisition, is a
demand, "What is his property?" He is desired to make an exact
declaration of everything that he is worth, and swear to the truth of
his assertions; being informed that, if there is any reservation on his
part, (although he may be at that time innocent of the charges produced
against him) he will, by his concealment, have incurred the wrath of the
Inquisition; and that, if discharged for the crime he is accused of, he
will again be arrested for having taken a false oath to the Inquisition;
that, if innocent, his property will be safe, and not interfered with.
It is not without reason that this demand is made. If a person accused
confesses his crime, he is, in most cases, eventually allowed to go
free, but all his property becomes confiscated.

By the rules of the Inquisition it is made to appear as if those
condemned have the show of justice; for, although two witnesses are
sufficient to warrant the apprehension of any individual, seven are
necessary to convict him; but as the witnesses are never confronted with
the prisoners, and torture is often applied to the witnesses, it is not
difficult to obtain the number required. Many a life is falsely sworn
away by the witness, that he may save his own. The chief crimes which
are noticed by the Inquisition are those of sorcery, heresy, blasphemy,
and what is called _Judaism_.

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 i