HISTORY AND KTHNOLOGV. 115 



an upright position ; tliey carried in the hand a yellow wax taper. Each con- 

 vict was attended by two familiars and two monks, who not unfrequently had 

 to carry their victim, who, by the foregoing torture, ha<l been rendered incapa- 

 ble of walking. Behind these walked a number of carriers loaded with boxes, 

 which contained the remains of such as had expired at the rack, or died in 

 their cells ; not even these were allowed to enjoy the repose of the grave : 

 their remains and their effigies were publicly burnt. 



Along the sides of the place of execution arose an immense amphitheatre, 

 designed to accommodate the members of the supreme court and other public 

 officers. Above tliem was the seat of the Grand Inquisitor. Opposite 

 appeared another amphitheatre for the prisoners. A third and smaller one 

 supported cages in Avhich the convicts Avere placed while their verdict was read 

 to them. At the foot of the first tribune stood an altar, and opposite to it a 

 large cross, shrouded with black crape. Galleries for ambassadors and other 

 distinguished political functionaries, and seats for the common people, complet- 

 ed the remaining accommodations. As the auto da fo took place in front of 

 the royal palace, the king, whenever he attended the execution, witnessed it 

 from his own balcony. 



The stakes were erected on a foundation of stone in the middle of the 

 place. They were surrounded by fagots of straw and wood, saturated 

 with pitch or oil ; every victim had a separate stake. The proceedings began 

 Avith a solemn mass. After this, the Grand Inquisitor addressed the king, 

 demanding of him the oath to guard and defend the faith, to be zealous in 

 extirpating heresy, and promoting the glory of the Inquisition. He also ad- 

 ministered a similar oath to the rest of the assembla2i;e ; and afterwards followed 

 a sermon by one of the Dominicans. The verdict was then pronounced, during 

 which ceremony the Jews had spikes driven through one hand. Absolution 

 was then granted to those who had early confessed, and then began the execu- 

 tions. 



Each martyr • knelt before the stake at which he was to be immolated, 

 and during the operation of chaining fjist his limbs and body, the monks 

 were industriously urging him to confession. As the fire grew stronger, 

 the flames enveloped him in their folds, and the dense smoke shut him and 

 his writhings from the gaze of the spectators. His heart-rending cries 

 were the only evidence of his agonies, and these soon grew faint and 

 silent. 



In lieu of the stake and pile, the inquisitors sometimes made use of a large 

 furnace, into which several heretics might be thrown and burnt at once. An- 

 other apparatus consisted of hollow statues of plaster, capable of holding a 

 human body. Neo-Christians, when they relapsed into their former belief, 

 were placed inside of these statues, which were then exposed to a gradually 

 increasing heat, killing the victims slowly. 



Our plates represent some of the most important objects in the foregoing 

 description. PL SO, fig. 1, the tribunal in session. In the extreme back- 

 ground sits the Grand Inquisitor. Before him stands the accused, around 

 whom are placed a series of tables, occupied by the secretaries and other 

 assistants. The figures in the background, Avith black hoods OA'cr their 



287 



