DE CASTRO'S HISTORY OF THE JEWS IX SPAIN. • BESIDES the
obvious topic of religious persecution, the history of the Jews in Spain contains three features of considerable interest. There is first the subject of alien or opposite races occupying the same soil, but never amalgamating; with the effect upon Spanish character and prosperity. Secondly, there are the actual contri- butions of the Spanish Jews to art and science, (they did little towards the belles lettres,) and their influence upon European pro- gress in those subjects. The real position of the Jews in Spain during the middle ages, and the condition of popular society, is a third subject of interest. That the wealth, acquirements, and learning of the Jews, gave them considerable influence with many of the upper classes, is clear ; and laws passed to prevent intimate association of Christians with Jews are proofs that the popular in- timacy was considerable. On the other hand, many facts show that the Jews were vulgarly odious—exposed, either with or with- out the stimulus of a fanatic preacher, to the violence of the rabble. In the earlier ages this odium took the form of persecution with the object of plunder. The feeling of hatred to the alien, envy of his prosperity, and a desire for his wealth, seem to have been the animating motives; religion being with the majority a mere pretext. The only subject which Don Adolfo de Castro fully perceives in the history of the Spanish Jews is this religious persecu- tion. In repeating his authorities, he cannot avoid indicating the existence of the other questions we have alluded to, but the indications in his narrative hardly reach to a glimpse. lad he perceived them more distinctly, he probably could not have de- veloped them. De Castro is deficient in comprehensive and criti- cal faculties. He does not see a subject in its fulness, or its qualities ; his mind is poor, and somewhat pedantic ; his whole plan is formed upon a limited scale. Of the three subjects just mentioned, the literature of the Spanish Jews is one to which he has most applied himself; and that is done indifferently. His scanty accounts are bibliographical rather than critical ; more like a catalogue raisonnee than a précis for a history. The translator, indeed, has omitted some specimens of poetry, for the insufficient reason of their badness; but this omission would not affect the general incompetency of Do Castro. The point on which he is strongest is the religious persecution. systematized by Ferdinand the Catholic, where plunder rather than religion was the object. The property of a relapsed convert was confiscated, and Ferdinand thus sought to fill his exhausted exchequer by means of the Inquisition. The hypocritical falsehood and atrocities of this monarch are well exposed by the force of simple facts, rather than by any art of the narrator ; the mis- chievous results to Spain, as well as the religious murders con- tinually perpetrated during the reign of his successors, are curtly though clearly described. But Ferdinand rather fanned the flame of religious bigotry than created it : the social feeling must have been strong against the Jews, to have produced so many " con- formers" •, for it was chiefly against pretended converts or heretics that the Inquisition directed itself: an avowed Jew who had never professed Christianity was in theory tolerated. And the origin of this hostile feeling was undoubtedly national rather than theological ; the Jew was looked upon as an alien and an enemy. Obscure as is the history of "Roderick the last of the Goths," modern investigation shows that the Moors had for some time meditated the invasion of Spain ; that they made tentative expeditions under the guise of forays ; and that the Sews assisted, by information if not by overt acts. This was enough to rankle in the mind of any people much more of a people like the Spa- niards; and original hatred to alien treachery was increased by that resemblance which to vulgar apprehension the Jew seemed to
bear to the Moor.
As the author quotes freely from chroniclers and documents, (some of which he claims to possess exclusively,) singular indica- tions of the times are frequently thrown up. The following ex- tract from a letter sent by the Jews of Rome in the early part of the sixteenth century to their brethren in Portugal, urging the latter to take advantage of the time which was allowed them to leave the country and migrate, contains some curious information on several topics of interest.
"Many of the envied race have immoveable property, in Portugal, which it will be painful to them to abandon and forfeit ; others who must neees- • The History of the Jews in Spain, from the time of their Settlement in that country till the commencement of the present century. Written and illustrated with divers extremely scarce Documents, by Don Adolfo De Castro. Cadiz. 1847. Trans- lated by the Rev. Edward D. G. M. Kirwan, M.A., Fellow of King's College, Cam- bridge. Published by Bell, London, and Deighton, Cambridge.
eerily have goods nattered about in different plates will; net be able to cols lect them together : all these-must do the best they can to einraseipate them- selves from such .terrible misfortunes; for they who had immoveable party inin Castile were punished as well as those who had much property lent out ; and as thingb present must be judged of by things past, let alt whom it may concern look to their own affairs and beware of trusting' to bulls of pros teetion, for in such times as these those bulls will avail them nothing ; for r well recollect a man being hanged at Lisbon with the privileges suspended from his neck • I remember also that as Count Benavente was killing a man who had the King's own royal security or privilege, he and to Ferdinand; I would sooner have taken from him some good cuilasses. Wherefore let all beware of God's wrath when they begin to do execution, (which God for- hid) and no blame ought to be imputed to them- for procuring the este, bliahment of an inquisition in their country like to that in Castile.; for the King's heart lain the hands.of God, who is served in all that he deeds
"1st the persons who come bring with them all things needful for-their support; and they had better bring all that they do not immediately re- quire in bills of exchange on Lyons, Venice, and other towns in Italy. I.At the bills be drawn on two persons- in whom- ye can place the greatest confidence, and let it be expressed in them that each of the two persons is bound for the whole amount of the- bills drawn upon him, and that the payment of so many. golden crusades or escudos is to be made in gold ; for should it be merely stated that the payment of so many crusades is to- be made, this expression will imply payment in coins worth only 336 maravedia a. piece; whereas. the crusades and escudos go for 320; and the golden crusade is worth 363 mamvedis. I say that some well- disposed men should come overland.to France, Lyons, and Gerona, for the I security of the bills they may bring ; and let those who bring merchaii, dist come to Flanders, France, and Genoa ; and should they go in that di- rection, the Arragoneseships are fine vessels and have good crews. Persons who go by La Pau expose themselves to danger; and the safest way is through France, Antwerp, Genoa, and Civita Vecchia, near Borne; further information can be obtained there. Blamed be Ile that ordereth the times and maketh the firmament above; and cursed be every one of my nation who shall not listen to my counsel and act upon it ; and if he refuse to leave that kingdom for a place of safety, upon- him and all who are disobedient, as well an upon their wives and children, and upon all the people of this nation, may the following curses fall, and fails° heavily that when they die they-cannot be buried in a double tomb. Cursed be the hour-of your birth. May every hour of your lives be sad and defiled with the red blood of the calf which your fathers worshiped. May ye experience dreadful grief of your own creation, and- unmixed sorrow. May the scab be- upon you, upon all your race, and upon your children. May everything in the world run counterto your pros- perity. God smite you with the plague wherewith He. alew those who left the swine's flesh in Egypt. Such calamity enter into your gates, that ye and your families may rise in the morning crippled like the sister of Moses. May ye be stoned like those who were discovered gathering wood on the Sabbath; day. May fire break out in your houses and burn you, as it broke out in the tent of Korah and burnt him and his company. May ye and all your de- scendants be ashamed and go down to hell together, like Mahan and Abiron. The curse of Mount Gilboa be upon you and all your posterity. May e be burnt hke those who would have stoned Moses and Aaron. May ye fall into the-hands of justice, as did the Israelites. May serpents breed in your houses, Solite you as they bit those whom God-punished for murmuring against Him. May every house ye inhabit be accursed and excommunicate ; and may atones fall upon you as.ye enter them, as the walls of Jericho fell."
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