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Maarten Janssen, 2014-

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1593. Carta de Francisco Fernandes para destinatário anónimo.

Author(s) Francisco Fernandes      
Addressee(s) Anónimo435      
In English

Statement letter from Francisco Fernandes, a man waiting for his execution in the Oporto jail, to the abbot of Oporto cathedral.

The author denies the Catholic faith and recognizes that the Jewish must be right when they believe that Jesus is no son of God. He hopes Portugal will be full of Lutherans and its churches turned into stables.

Francisco Fernandes, while waiting for his execution in the Oporto jail, and since he was expected to confess his sins, wrote a denial of the Catholic faith instead. The Inquisition decided to leave him be, since he was writing in despair. Nevertheless, if his sentence were to be commuted, he should be persecuted for his denial.

Sir Abbot of the cathedral,

Well, you have told me to confess to you, since my honour was already lost, because my body is "cornudo" and Justice wants to hang me; things are not getting god for me. Well, the soul, let all the devils take it. The confession I need to make now is as follows and it comes from the heart.I abjure the baptism water and the chrism I have received. And even if they burn me or stone me to death, I object to dying in the faith of Christ. I actually regret certain masses I ordered and certain prayers and alms I have given. And the cause of this is that they have locked me up in the church. And as I know it would favour me and I won’t be allowed to go back to it, I do this because I know what happened in my case. And therefore I say that […] and truthfully that two witnesses who convicted me, saying that Amaro de Bartolomeu […] Conceição, lied and committed perjury. The other reason I have for not wanting to die under the law of Christ is that once a Jewish friend told me not to believe in Christ because Jews murdered Him for claiming to be the son of God, which He was not. And I believe it so. Other Jew [told] me that prayers said on Earth could not be heard in Heaven. And I believe it so and I see it clearly, because if they were heard as many as I have prayed, then God ought to be served, and the house where I was imprisoned will set me free, for it is the House of God. However, as I said before, I believe Christ doesn’t have that power and those who believe in His lay cannot be saved. I would enjoy seeing this land full of Lutherans and the churches knocked down and serving as stables, since they are of no use to men. And I say it with all my heart. And this is truly the confession I need to make and no other. I even remember hearing two clergymen saying they saw a book which said there was no Heaven or Hell and I believe it to be true and I sign here with my signature.

Francisco Fernandes

If there is no translation for the letter itself, you may copy the text (while using the view 'Standardization') and paste it to an automatic translator of your choice.

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Sõr abade da see

pois me disestes q me cõfesase

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a vos isto minha omRa ja esta perdida pois me fiz cornudo meu corpo
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pois a Justa me quer emforquar esta mto guanhado
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pois ha allma levem na todos os diabos a comfisãa
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q tenho pa fazer he a seguimte e he de todo coRacam

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aReneguo da augoa do bautismo e do olio e crisma que

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Recebi he quer me queymen quer me apedrejem vivo protesto
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de moRer na fe de cristo amtes me pesa mto de certas misas
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q aqui mãdey dizer he de allgũas oRacois e esmolas que aqui tenho
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fto he a causa disto he porq me premderam na igra he porq eu
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sey q me valia e me tornarã ha ella faco isto porq eu sey
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como acomteceo ho meu caso e por iso diguo q e na
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vdade q duas tas q me comdenaram dizemdo q
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de bertolameu treycam mẽtiram e juraram fallso
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outra causa tenho a querer moRer fora da ley de xpo he e que
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Judeu amiguo meu me dise dia q crese em cristo porque
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os Judeus ho mataram por se fazer fo de ds mas q elle no
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eRa e eu asi ho creo outro Judeu me q as oRacõis q se Rezavam
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na tera q eRam ouvidas no ceo he eu asi ho creo he bem
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as vejo porq se elas se ouviram tamtas como eu tenho Rezado não
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podeRa deixar ds de ser servido q a casa omde me a min prẽderam
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me valera pois se chama casa de ds mas como diguo emtemdo
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ter cristo ese poder nẽ se sallvarem os q na sua ley creram
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eu follguara de cheguar q vira esta tera chea de luteranos he
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as igreyjas deRibadas e q serviram d estrebarias pois ham
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de valer haos homẽs e isto digo de coRacam e de ve he esta
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a comfisam q tenho de fazer e outra e mais me lembra que
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ouvi dizer a dois cleriguos q viram livro q dezia q nãa
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avia paraiso nẽ inferno e eu asi o creo e asino aqui de meu sinall
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de xxij de novẽbro de 1593 anos

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frco frz

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