ARGÜELLO, Gaspar Isidro de.

by Gaspar Isidro de Argüello

£4,950 · Offered by Sokol Books

Second edition, first published 1627, of this extremely rare guide to the operation of the Spanish Inquisition by the inquisitor Gaspar Isidro de Argüello, consisting of condensed versions of the original set of instructions by the first Grand Inquisitor, Tomás de Torquemada (1420-98), and the ordinances of Toledo promulgated in 1572, preceded by an ‘abecedario’ or alphabetical index. Initially the Spanish Inquisition was primarily concerned with punishing and coercing converted Jews (conversos) and Muslims (moriscos) who were suspected of practicing their original faiths in secret. The second part of this book begins with the instructions concerning the Inquisition in Seville and particularly the Jewish area of Santa Cruz, where the Jews were ruthlessly repressed, either banish by edict in 1492 or forced to convert, with specific mention of the errors of Jewish ceremonies. There are also letters of instruction to the city and bishopric of Barcelona. The guide is designed to aid functionaries of the Inquisition in enacting its measures, containing in particular formalae for words to be spoken by those strongly suspected of heresy (vehementi) and those who have been found guilty (deliti), in which they repudiated their heretical beliefs. The exemplar used is for a heretic from Valladolid, showing the wide reach of Torquemada's Inquisition across Spain. There are also instructions for the various bureaucratic officers of the Inquisition: alguaciles, responsible for rounding up

• Printing: later
• Binding: Hardcover

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