A Jewess of ten years of age, who was burned at Lisbon at the
last auto-da-fe, gave occasion to the following little piece, the most
idle, I believe, that ever was written. When we attempt to prove things
so evident we are sure never to convince.
The author declares, that though a Jew he has a respect for the
Christian religion; and that he should be glad to take away from the
princes who are not Christians, a plausible pretence for persecuting
this religion.
"You complain," says he to the Inquisitors, "that the Emperor of
Japan caused all the Christians in his dominions to be burned by a slow
fire. But he will answer, we treat you who do not believe like us, as
you yourselves treat those who do not believe like you; you can only
complain of your weakness, which has hindered you from exterminating us,
and which has enabled us to exterminate you.
"But it must be confessed that you are much more cruel than this
emperor. You put us to death who believe only what you believe, because
we do not believe all that you believe. We follow a religion which you
yourselves know to have been formerly dear to God. We think that God
loves it still, and you think that he loves it no more: and because you
judge thus, you make those suffer by sword and fire who hold an error so
pardonable as to believe that God still loves what he once loved.
[21]
"If you are cruel to us, you are much more so to our children; you
cause them to be burned because they follow the inspirations given them
by those whom the law of nature and the laws of all nations teach them
to regard as gods.
"You deprive yourselves of the advantage you have over the
Mahometans, with respect to the manner in which their religion was
established. When they boast of the number of their believers, you tell
them that they have obtained them by violence, and that they have
extended their religion by the sword; why then do you establish yours by
fire?
"When you would bring us over to you, we object to a source from
which you glory to have descended. You reply to us, that though your
religion is new, it is divine; and you prove it from its growing amidst
the persecutions of Pagans, and when watered by the blood of your
martyrs; but at present you play the part of the Diocletians, and make
us take yours.
"We conjure you, not by the mighty God whom both you and we serve,
but by that Christ, who, you tell us, took upon him a human form, to
propose himself as an example for you to follow; we conjure you to
behave to us as he himself would behave were he upon earth. You would
have us become Christians, and you will not be so yourselves.
"But if you will not be Christians, be at least men; treat us as you
would, if having only the weak light of justice which nature bestows,
you had not a religion to conduct, and a revelation to enlighten you.
"If heaven has had so great a love for you as to make you see the
truth, you have received a singular favour; but is it for children who
have received the inheritance of their father, to hate those who have
not?
"If you have this truth, hide it not from us by the manner in which
you propose it. The characteristic of truth is its triumph over hearts
and minds, and not that impotency which you confess when you would force
us to receive it by tortures.
"If you were wise, you would not put us to death for no other reason
than because we are unwilling to deceive you. If your Christ is the son
of God, we hope he will reward us for being so unwilling to profane his
mysteries; and we believe that the God whom both you and we serve will
not punish us for having suffered death for a religion which he formerly
gave us, only because we believe that he still continues to give it.
"You live in an age in which the light of nature shines more
brightly than it has ever done; in which philosophy has enlightened
human understanding; in which the morality of your gospel has been
better known; in which the respective rights of mankind with regard to
each other and the empire which one conscience has over another are best
understood. If you do not therefore shake off your ancient prejudices,
which, whilst unregarded, mingle with your passions, it must be
confessed that you are incorrigible, incapable of any degree of light or
instruction; and a nation must be very unhappy that gives authority to
such men.
"Would you have us frankly tell you our thoughts? You consider us
rather as your enemies than as the enemies of your religion; for if you
loved your religion you would not suffer it to be corrupted by such
gross ignorance.
"It is necessary that we should warn you of one thing; that is, if
any one in times to come shall dare to assert that in the age in which
we live, the people of Europe were civilised, you will be cited to prove
that they were barbarians; and the idea they will have of you will be
such as will dishonour your age and spread hatred over all your
contemporaries."
