INTRODUCTION. 



45 



books on board, under the severest penalties; and on her 

 arrival, she had to undergo a search by the inquisito- 

 rial commissioners. These commissioners of the holy 

 office, were established in every town and village; and 

 it was their duty to make frequent domiciliary visits, 

 to see that no prohibited books had eluded the ^^armed 

 watch'' of the inquisition. The list of prohibited 

 books, includes all the most esteemed classic works of 

 modern times; among them, are those of Addison, 

 Marmontel, Montesquieu, Barlamaqui, Racine, Fene- 

 lon, Robertson, and many others of the same class. 

 It will excite a smile vv^hen I add, that even poor Ro- 

 binson Crusoe and his man Friday are proscribed! No 

 use can be made of any book, without being first ex- 

 amined by the commissioners of the holy office. The 

 severest restrictions are placed on booksellers — they 

 can offer no book for sale without previous permission, 

 and heavy penalties are inflicted on such as are de- 

 tected in buying or selling a prohibited book. To the 

 domiciliary visits, every house is exposed at all 

 hours, day and night, and wo to him in whose dwel- 

 ling there should be discovered one of these formida- 

 ble enemies of the Spanish dominion in America! 

 Every advantage was taken, moreover, of the super- 

 stitious fears of the weak; an instance of which may 

 be given, that will excite the horror of the reader. A 

 learned Mexican, Don Jose de Roxas, who died at 

 New Orleans in 1811, was denounced by his own 

 mother^ for having a volume of Rousseau in his pos- 

 session; and for this offence he was confined within 

 the prisons of the inquisition for several years. He 

 finally effected his escape to the United States, but it 

 was several months before he could be convinced that 



