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Sion of the New Testament and had it printed at Antwerp in 1543 for distribution in Spain. Besides, many convents of monks and nuns, especially those in the neighborhood of Seville and Valladolid, were largely leavened with the Protestant heresy. In spite of this impetus, Protestantism was effectually suppressed in Spain after a brief career of scarcely half a century. The chief repressive agency was the Inquisition, which assumed in Spain, as the joint instrument of civil and religious absolutism, its sternest form, and made use of the moat drastic and arbitrary methods. But it is to be remarked that the Protestant forces in Spain were paralyzed and finally overcome, not so much by the violent persecution at home as by the unfavorable impression made upon the Spanish people by the actions of Protestants abroad. The uprising of the German peasants in 1524 in behalf of social reform caused great alarm among the privileged classes in Spain and greatly prejudiced them against the introduction of doctrines which seemed to foment revolution elsewhere. Greater antagonism was aroused by the alliance of the Protestant princes of Germany with the king of France, Francis L, the bitter enemy of Spain, and later was increased by the revolt o£ the Protestants in the Netherlands against Spanish rule, so that after a time Protestants came to be looked upon not only as heretics but as traitors and rebels, and it became increasingly difficult for any loyal Spaniard to embrace Protestantism. Prior to the abdication of Charles V. in 1546 the activities of the Inquisition against Protestants were somewhat restricted, and though Philip II. on his accession gave it a free hand, the work of extermination was not begun in deep earnest until 1557. The first " auto da f6 " was celebrated at Valladolid in 1559, and thereafter the work of executing Protestant victims in the principal cities of Spain was conducted under the joint auspices of Church and State, combining the features of a religious festival and a popular holiday. In 1559 it is estimated that there were 1,000 Protestants in each of the cities, Seville and Valladolid, and a relatively large number in other sections of Spain. By the year 1570 Protestantism in Spain was cut off, root and branch, practically all of its converts having suffered either banishment or martyrdom, and for the three centuries that followed the blood of its martyrs was as seed in barren soil.

II. Anticlerical Movements: If it was fanatical patriotism allied with ecclesiasticism that crushed the Protestant movement in Spain in the sixteenth century, it has been an enlightened z. Political patriotism arrayed against ecclesiasOpposition. ticism that has afforded a shield for the Evangelical forces in Spain in modern times. The radical and revolutionary philosophy of the French skeptics of the eighteenth century early found an easy, though a restricted, ground in Spain. Under its tuition many Spaniards saw their country fastened on by a parasitic tribe of nearly 140,000 priests, nuns, and sacristans, and they welcomed the Voltairean estimate of their worth. The Cataclysm of the French Revolution did still more to disseminate the seeds of popular freedom, and before the downfall of Napoleon, liberalism was fully

born in Spain and prepared to enter, as in other Latin

countries, into the long war against absolutism and

clericalism. The first decisive step was taken in

1812, during the exile of King Ferdinand VII. The

Spanish tortes, assembled for the first time in many

years, was largely composed of lawyers and literary

men, and though they swore to tolerate no faith

but Roman Catholicism in the land, they abolished

the Inquisition, curtailed the power of the clergy,

and framed a constitution. The restoration of Fer

dinand in 1814 resulted in the overturning of their

work and a violent persecution in the vain attempt

to exterminate the Liberal party. From the death

of Ferdinand, in 1833, until 1873 occurred a series

of heated revolutionary conflicts between the liberal

and conservative elements, with alternating vic

tories, but with the anti-clerical cause steadily

gaining ground. In 1851, by the concordat estab

lished with the pope (see CONCORDATS AND DErix

I27NG Burrs, VII.), the monastic orders were limited

to three. In 1854 the Liberals, being then in power,

after granting compensation, sold the church lands.

In 1858 and again in 1868 religious liberty and free

dom of worship were proclaimed, but this meant

only freedom 1;o attack the Church of Rome, and

full religious tolerance was by no means established.

In 1873 the tortes proclaimed a republic, but this

was overthrown by the army and Alphonso XII.

was seated on the throne. From that time onward

the monarchy has continued, and political questions

have usually been settled by an appeal to the elec

torate, rather than to force. Politics among the

leaders has largely degenerated into a scramble for

the spoils of office, accompanied by more or leas

compromise with the church party, but there has

come to Spain in these years, through the spread of

liberal principles, an increasing measure of civil

and religious liberty. The most significant event

for Protestantism of late years was the returning

to power, in the election of 1910, of Premier Josh

Canalejas and his party, upon a platform pledging,

among other reforms, absolute freedom of worship,

civil supervision of conventual establishments, and

the laicization of schools and colleges. The sig

nificance of this may be seen when it is understood

that, previous to 1910, the Protestant denomi

nations and missions were prohibited from dis

playing any insignia of worship or of propagating

their doctrines publicly; and that, according to a

recent count, the number of monks and nuns and

other ecclesiastical officials in Spain totalled 154,517,

receiving about eight million dollars yearly directly

from the national treasury, besides various exemp

tions and privileges. The first step in the execution

of this program brought about a break with Rome,

the papal nuncio was recalled, and at the close of

the year he had not returned to the Spanish court.

Another phase of this anticlerical movement is

the constantly diminishing respect shown by lay

man and ecclesiastic for ecclesiastical

a. Dissent authority even in the sphere of religion.

and This tendency is noticeable in the in

Unbelief. dependent spirit animating the several

orders in their relation to each other

and to the local clergy. Indeed, so loose has

grown the bond between them and so bitter has