r on his knees once more to recant--to preserve her life--not to allow
her beauty to be marred by a long imprisonment. She turned from him
with loathing. Munebrega well knew the importance of caution. His
chief and brother inquisitors were very indifferent what means were made
use of (even the most abominable), provided they contributed to bring
about the objects they had in view; but they would allow no private
interests to be gratified. Day after day Munebrega visited the unhappy
lady. His protestations, his arguments, every subject he introduced,
only tended to strengthen her resolution. "Get thee behind me, Satan,"
was her daily ejaculation when he appeared. She did not trust to her
own strength, but hourly sought strength and grace from above to
withstand all the trials and temptations to which she was exposed. Like
Peter, she had fallen once; severe was the lesson she had learned. Like
Peter's repentance, hers had been deep and truly sincere. No longer did
she trust to herself. Munebrega at last retired, gnashing his teeth at
having been foiled by a weak woman, utterly incapable of comprehending
the mighty power which had been fighting on her side against him. He
now allowed other persons to attempt to move her.

Among others, her former admirer, Don Francisco de Vivers, was induced
to visit her. He was still unmarried. What arguments he used it is not
necessary to state. He was not hardened to the craft of the priests,
and he left the prison abashed and confused. He visited her again more
than once, and the idea was entertained by the inquisitors that he was
moving her obdurate heart. At length, however, he was missing from
Valladolid, and some of his friends feared, from some words that he had
let drop, that he had offended the inquisitors, and was immured in their
prisons.

It would be impossible to imagine, much less to describe, the cruelties
practised on Leonor de Cisneros; and yet there were many hundreds of
delicately-nurtured females and hidalgos of high rank suffering as she
was physically in the numerous prisons of the Inquisition throughout
Spain--many shut up in loathsome dungeons, destined never again to see
the light of day.

Numerous _autos-da-fe_ succeeded each other for the purpose of stamping
out Protestant principles from Spain. The second celebrated at
Valladolid took place on the 8th of October, 1559, for the purpose of
celebrating the return of Philip the Second, husband