Excerpt from The Marannos: A Tale of the Inquisition, During the Reign of Ferdinand and Isabella; (Spain's Most Eventful Era)

This, the first of a series Of publications which the undersigned intends to issue at intervals, is herewith presented to the public. It is an historical novel, founded on events which Occurred during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, Of Spain - a reign which might be aptly named the golden era of that kingdom for it was then that the several States into which the country had been broken up for ages, were united and brought under one rule; the kingdom of Naples was conquered the ancient empire of the Spanish Moors overthrown; the dread tribunal of the modern inquisition established; the Jews, who contributed so sensibly to the wealth and civilization of the country were - we will charitably suppose, only through mistaken bigotted zeal, and perhaps jealousy - not only banished but otherwise unmercifully persecuted and in fine, such changes were introduced into the interior administration of the monarchy as have left a permanent impression on the character and condition of the nation, but which also, dating from that period, entered upon its downward course. And in this place be it permitted to call attention to the curious fact, that from whichever country the Jewish nation has been banished, there shortly after commenced not only the downfall, we may say, of that country's power, but also the deterioration of its people. This is not said in the spirit of flattery, but history, in every instance, records it. Prescott, Helps, and other great historians, it is true, have given us a clear insight into the historical events of that period, but it is just the facts, brought to light again by these eminent men, that Offer abundant material to the modern novelist to enlarge upon. Such is the marannos, a novel translated from the Spanish - attractive and interesting for which we ask the favorable consideration Of the reader.

About the Publisher

Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com

This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.