o the stake about two thousand heretics"[1] in twelve years.

[1] Langlois, _L'Inquisition d'apres des tableaux recents_, 1902, pp.
105, 106. This number, without being certain, is asserted by
contemporaries, Pulga and Marinco Siculo. Cf. Hefele, _Le Cardinal
Ximenes_, Paris, 1856, pp. 290, 291. Another contemporary,
Bernaldes, speaks of over 700 burned from 1481-1488; cf. Gams,
_Kirchengeschichte von Spanien_, vol. iii, 2, p. 69.

"During this same period," says a contemporary historian, "fifteen
thousand heretics did penance, and were reconciled to the Church."[1]
That makes a total of seventeen thousand trials. We can thus
understand how Torquemada, although grossly calumniated, came to be
identified with this period, during which so many thousands of
_conversos_ appeared before the Spanish tribunals.

[1] Pulgar, in Hefele, op. cit., p. 291.

The zeal of the Inquisitors seemed to abate after a time.[1] Perhaps
they thought it better to keep the Jews and the Mussulmans in the
Church by kindness. But kindness failed just as force had failed.
After one hundred years, the number of obdurate _conversos_ was as
great as ever. Several ardent advocates of force advised the
authorities to send them all to the stake. But the State determined
to drive the Moriscos from Spain, as it had banished the Jews in
1492. Accordingly in September, 1609, a law was passed decreeing the
banishment, under penalty of death, of all Moriscos, men, women, and
children. Five hundred thousand persons, about one sixteenth of the
postulation were thus banished from Spain, and forced to seek refuge
on the coasts of Barbary. "Behold," writes Brother Bleda, "the most
glorious event in Spain since the times of the Apostles; religious
unity is now secured; an era of prosperity is certainly about to
dawn."[2] This era of prosperity so proudly announced by the
Dominican zealot never came. This extreme measure, which pleased him
so greatly, in reality weakened Spain, by depriving her of hundreds
of thousands of her subjects.

[1] "The Inquisition of Valencia condemned one hundred and twelve
_conversos_ in 1538 (of whom fourteen were sent to the stake); at the
_auto-da-fe_ of Seville, September 24, 1559, three were burned, and
eight were reconciled and sentenced to life imprisonment; on June 6,
1585, the Inquisitors of Saragossa in their account to Philip II
speak of having reconciled sixty-three, and of having sent five to
the stake." Langlois, op. c