crown, under a pretence of levying a tax for crufading: Its great object is the maintenance of CEUTA, for that is the fole tenure by which they hold the grant of thofe bulls: For were they to lofe CEUTA, they would lofe all pretenfions to this tax, which would revert to the fee of ROME. In this council all books of religion are examined; no breviary nor miffal can be printed without its licence. It is the depofitary of ftolen goods unowned. It was erected in the year 1525. All the King's fubjects are obliged to buy the indulgence belonging to the bull of the Crufado, to enable them to go to confeffion, receive abfolution, and to communicate; for if they bring not this bull, the priests will neither abfolve them, nor give them the wafer. This very confiderable part of the crown revenues was given in confequence of Cardinal XIMENES's expedition into AFRICA. All the benefices in SPAIN are taxed for the crufade. TOLEDO alone pays 50,000 ducats yearly, (6250 pounds ;) the contribution of the clergy is great, but of the laity ftill more: These bulls are faid to produce yearly, in SPAIN only, 1,200,000. ducats (above 57,000 . fterl.) and about double that fum in AMERICA. Those who die without having bought them, die excommunicated. XVII. Board of Works and Forrests. XVIII. Council of Commerce, Money, and Mines; or a board of trade. XIX. Junta de Facultades y de Viudedades. What the nature of this board is, I cannot fay, having made feveral enquiries in vain about it: Tho' I am inclined to believe, that it relates to cafes of property and perfonal estates, and particularly widows jointures. XX. Apoftolical Junta. To appoint miffionaries. XXI. Junta of Tobacco. To manage the farm of the tobacco. XXII. Junta XXII. Junta of the Provifions. This is a council of perfons of rank and property, who are obliged to furnish MADRID with bread and all other provifions at a fixt price. It has the preference of the first purchase at all markets. 10" XXIII. Tribunal of the first Phyfician. DON JOSEPH SUNOL, of the Council of his Majefty, and first Physician of the Chamber, Prefident. DON MIGUEL BARBON, of the Council of his Majefty, and his Physician of the Chamber, Vice-prefident. DON JOSEPH AMAR, Phyfician to his Majefty, and first Physician. DON ANDRES PIQUER, Phyfician of the Chamber of his Majefty, and first Phyfician. DON MATTHIAS DE LA RUBIA, Affeffor. DON FR. ANT. DE VERGARA, Fifcal. DON FR. XAVIER DE QUESADA, Secretary. XXIV. Tribunal of the Nonciature, or Concordate: This related, among other articles, to the disposal of ecclefiaftical preferments. It was abolished by an agreement between the courts of ROME and SPAIN, in 1753. In this Court under the Royal Protection. XXV. ROYAL SPANISH ACADEMY. HIS EXCELLENCE THE DUKE OF ALVA, Dean of the Council of State, Director. DON FRANCISCO DE ANGULA, Secretary. XXVI. ROYAL ACADEMY OF HISTORY. D. AUG. DE MONT. Y LUYANDO, perpetual Director for his Majefty, and Secretary of the Chamber of Grace and Justice, and Eftudo of Caftille. D. EUG D. EUG. DE LLAGUNO AMIROLA, Secretary*. XXVII. ROYAL ACADEMY OF THE THREE NOBLE ARTS, Painting, Sculpture, Architecture, with the Title of SAN FERNANDO. His Excellency D. RICARDO WALL, Protector and Counsellor of State. D. TIB. DE AGIRRE, Vice Protector of the Council of the Orders. D. IG. DE HERMOSITTA, Secretary. XXVIII. ROYAL ACADEMY OF PHYSIC AT MADRID. DON J. SUNOL, Counsellor of his Majefty, and his first Physician, perpetual Prefident for his Majesty. DON A. PIQUER, Phyfician of his Majefty, Vice President, and first Physician. DON J. DE ORTEGA, Secretary. *The Academy of Hiftory at MADRID was founded in 1713, by the Duke de ESCALONA, who is well known to the republic of letters. There is another Academy at SEVILLE, chiefly relating to the Mathematics. LETTER LETTER IV. STATE of LITERATURE, LETTERS, and MEN of LEARNING in SPAIN. I' N regard to learning, and the belles lettres, SPAIN evidently labours under two material difadvantages; which are, the want of a liberty of the prefs; and the being subjected to the cenfure of the inquifition. It is eafy to imagine how many valuable works of wit, humour, fatire, and genius are entirely rendered abortive for want of this liberty; and though it may be attended with some evils and inconveniencies, yet its advantages are evident, from the many entertaining and useful productions, which in our island folely owed their birth to it: for, as one well faid, Is it not better for the public, that a million of monsters should come into the world, which are fure to die as foon as they are born, than that one Hercules should be strangled in his cradle? Let us bear patiently with the infamous productions of infidelity and faction, as long as we can receive from the fame channel, the admirable discourses of a SHERLOCK, or a HARE; the political writings of a BOLINGBROKE, or a BATH, and the various masterly and elegant compofitions of a LYTTLETON. What would have become of the wit and buffoonery of Dr. SWIFT, the elegant obfervations of Mr. ADDISON, and the genteel humour of Sir RICHARD STEELE, if their free and unshackled fpirits had been chained down like thofe of the Spaniards? Where would have been those many: pleasing and inftructive writings which daily fprung up, thro' this liberty, at different periods, in the many controverfial wars which we have had upon fubjects of party, politics, learning, and even religion? Would not all these have been deftroyed in the bud, if we had feen, as Mr. POPE fays, under the throne of Ignorance or Superftition, Beneath her footstool Science groan in chains, And Wit dread exile, penalties and pains. There, foam'd, rebellious Logic, gagg'd and bound; It is a matter of much more furprize to me, when I confider things in this light, to find that the Spaniards are advanced so far as they are in arts and science, than to wonder, that they are got no farther. If we add to this the power and uncontrouled licence, which the Inquifitors or Dominicans have to cenfure all works printed there, and if they please, to chaftife and punish the authors, it would furely make a full apology for SPAIN in this article. I know not well how many licences a book must have before it can actually pass the prefs, but I think at least three. It is usually read by as many cenfors, and is carefully cleanfed by the Catholic fpunge, before it falls under the eye of the public. The inquifition never grants any licence, referving to itself the freedom of condemning or abfolving afterwards, as it may judge expedient. The art of this management is apparent. The index of the Libri Prohibiti publifhed by the holy office is now increased to two large volumes in folio; and a man muft fairly turn over all that work, before he can well know what he dare read. The claffics that I opened in the royal library at MADRID were anathematized in the title with these words, Autor Damnatus, and many whole prefatory difcourfes were erazed and blotted" out, because, as the librarian told me, Ils font contre notre religion. I have been told by a Spaniard, a friend of mine, that the Dominican library, confifting only of books which they have feized, and which of course are forbidden, is one of the largest and finest in MADRID. I have heard many of them own, that the prohibited books were generally the most worth reading. One in particular told me, that as Father PAUL'S hiftory of the council of TRENT was forbidden to be read any where upon earth, he took it with him, and read it at sea. It is no uncommon thing here to fee the |