Notary reads Confession, Sentence Handed Down: Case of María González, 1512

The notary, Cristóbal de Prado relates that he was the one reading the prior confession of María González, back to the woman herself on March 26, 1512 by order of the inquisitors, in Toledo. It's not hard to imagine a wooden hearing room, a few tables and chairs, a door that the inquisitors enter through and another for the accused. A few days later, on the 30th of March, the accused is brought in to the hearing room, the notary is ordered to read her confession again so that she could hear the words said  back to her, then the sentence of torture was read. When the woman was to be tortured, the confession she gave then is excerpted at length. The language of the notary is precise and defines it's own purpose carefully and even, it's proper place in the hierarchy, mentioning when and where and who and why. This inquisition process had been sharpened and expanded on for over thirty years and by this time looked very efficient.  By it's own measure of course.

"... the reverend lord inquisitors -- the licentiate Alonso de Mariana and Francisco de Herrera, apostolic and ordinary inquisitor -- were in the hearing of the Holy Office of the Inquisition, in my presence, Cristóbal de Prado, notary. They ordered Melchor de Sayavedra, the prison warden, to bring María González to the hearing. When María González was present, the lord inquisitors told her that she had been admonished many times to declare the truth about what she knew, about herself as well as other people, and to declare her accomplices, and still she has not wanted to speak the truth. Thus it was \necessary to treat her with all the severity of the law. They ordered me, the said notary, to read the following sentence in María González' presence." [p. 51]

...

"Given the circumstantial evidence and suspicions that result from the trial against María González, and the fact that she has been silent about the people who participated with her in the crimes of heresy which she has confessed, we find that we must order her put to the question of torture. The torture shall be given according to our will until such time as she declares the truth about accomplices and participants in the said crimes. And so we pronounce and order by these writings.

This sentence was given and pronounced by the lord inquisitors on the aforesaid day, month, and year, María González being there and in my presence, the notary." [p. 52]

The inquisitors were convinced of the truth and they insisted the only way the accused's crimes could be set right is if first, she admitted what they already judged was the truth. The next step after reading the sentence was to begin the torture.

All quotes from The Spanish Inquisition 1478-1614: An Anthology of Sources, edited and translated by Lu Ann Homza, Indianapolis, Hackett Publishing Company, Inc. 2006