Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

or a little less than 3000 ducats. In the seventeenth century all this had changed. Various gratifications had become habitual additions to the salaries proper, in lieu of the old ayuda de costa. Thus there were three larger propinas or pourboires a year, on the days of San Isidro (May 15th), San Juan (June 24th) and Santa Ana (July 26th) and five smaller ones, called manuales on certain other feasts. There were also luminarias or reimbursement for the cost of the frequent illuminations publicly ordered, which seem to have been averaged into a fixed sum, and at times there was an allowance for the Autos of Corpus Christi, or plays represented before the Council on Corpus Christi day, while the toros or bull-fights which were celebrated on the days of the three chief propinas sometimes replace the latter. There were other smaller perquisites, such as wax and sugar-the latter a distribution, on each of the feasts of Corpus Christi and San Pedro Martir, of an arroba (25 pounds) of sugar to the inquisitor-general, half an arroba to the members and a quarter to the subordinates, making in all nine arrobas. In 1657 we learn that sugar was worth 161 reales per arroba, making an annual outlay for this purpose of 2900 reales. A larger gratuity was that of houses. The Suprema owned a number and allowed them to be occupied by its officials, while those who were not thus housed received a cash equivalent. Thus in various ways the nominal salaries were largely supplemented and, whatever were the necessities of the State, the Council took care that its members and officials should be abundantly supplied.

When, in 1629, there was some talk of reforming the Suprema, Philip IV called upon Castañeda, the contador-general, for a detailed statement of the salaries, propinas, bull-fights and illuminations, with their aggregate for each person connected with it, from the inquisitor-general down to the lowest employee, and the same information was required as to the tribunals. As usual the Suprema equivocated and concealed. All that it saw fit to reply was that the salary of a member was 500,000 maravedís, of a consejero de la tarde 166,666, of the royal secretary and receiver-general 200,000 each. We happen to have a detailed statement of the personnel and emoluments of the Suprema at this period which furnishes the information thus withheld from 1 Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Lib. 5, fol. 6, 16, 21. 2 Bibl. nacional, MSS., D, 150, p. 224.

Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Lib. 30, fol. 647, 653.

the king. It shows that the salary of the inquisitor-general was 1,100,000 maravedís and the extras 352,920, or in all, 1,452,920. Each of the full members received one half of this, while the consejeros de la tarde had one third of the salary of a full member, one half of his propina and no luminarias. The whole number on the pay-roll was thirty-six; the aggregate of their salaries was. 7,152,539 maravedís and of the extras 2,891,088, or in all, 10,043,627, equivalent to 295,400 reales or 26,855 ducats, being about ten-fold the cost of a century earlier. Of course, the purchasing power of money had fallen greatly during the interval, but this does not wholly explain the later extravagance. It is observable, moreover that, in the case of the minor subordinates, where the salaries were low, the extras amount to twice as much as the regular pay, and also that as yet there were but three propinas a year and these and the luminarias were the only extras. A statement of a few years later, probably 1635, may be summarized thus:

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

In this for the first time appears the name of the king as a recipient of the propinas and luminarias, with an allowance double that of the inquisitor-general, but though he figured in the estimates he was not paid. So carefully were these extras

1 Archivo de Simancas, Lib. 940, fol. 205.

2 Ibidem, Lib. 31, fol. 637.—These royal perquisites were quietly left unpaid until, in 1640, Philip in his distress suddenly remembered them and crdered the receiver to render a statement of the amount due to him, until the settlement of which no other payments were to be made. To this the Suprema replied that orders had been given for its immediate settlement. This was more easily said than done, for three months later it represented that it had responded liberally to his demands; it had paid 35,000 reales of the arrearages and hoped to increase the amount to 40,000 and begged to be forgiven the balance, but the king was obdurate. Ibidem, Lib. 21, fol. 223, 231. The crown continued to share in these perquisites. In 1670, an order for paying luminarias on the accession of Clement IX, is headed by Carlos II for the amount of 114,240 mrs.-Ibidem, Leg. 1476, fol. 7.

observed that when, in 1679 and 1680 the fiestas de toros or bullfights, on the feasts of San Isidro and Santa Ana, were omitted and, in 1680 the Autos Sacramentales of Corpus Christi, the Suprema indemnified itself, in 1680, by distributing 687,276 maravedís, from which we learn that the perquisites of a bullfight amounted to 137,275 and of an exhibition of autos to 144,976.1

The terrible condition of the debased currency, known as vellon, at a discount from plata or silver, ranging from 25 to 50 per cent., gave further opportunities for quietly increasing salaries. As a rule, public officials had to take their salaries in the depreciated vellon-the government was obliged to accept it for taxes and to pay it out at its face value. The Suprema, however, computed its salaries in silver and paid in vellon with the discount added. In 1680 the members made a special grant to themselves, for they ordered the salaries to be paid one half in silver and the other half in vellon with a hundred per cent. added, thus in effect doubling their salaries. How often this liberality was repeated it would be impossible now to say; it was not a settled matter, for the receipts in 1681 show a return to the usual practice of payment in vellon with 50 per cent. added. Another device by which the depreciation in vellon was made a pretext for augmenting salaries is shown by the receipts for 1670. Payments were made every three months in advance; the first tercio, on January 1st, and the second on May 1st, were made in vellon with the customary addition of 50 per cent.; then, on September 1st this augmented sum was taken as a basis and 663 per cent. added, bringing the payment to two and a half times the legitimate amount. The Suprema was not particular as to other devices for increasing its emoluments. In 1659, the birth of the Infante Fernando Thomás served as an excuse for two extra propinas and for five luminarias. In 1690, when it probably was in funds from the confiscations in Majorca, under the transparent pretext of replacing various articles of which it had availed itself, it voted to its members and chief officers 14,160 reales in silver and to the subordinates 8555 in vellon. It was also profuse in gratuities to its employees, as when, in 1670, it voted to Doña Juana de

1 Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Leg. 1480, fol. 1. 2 Ibidem, Lib. 21, fol. 252.

Ibidem, Leg. 1476, fol. 7. 6 Ibidem, Leg. 1477, fol. 154.

3 Ibidem, Leg. 1480, fol. 1, 10, 16. Ibidem, Leg. 1475, fol. 1, 2, 4, 19.

Fita y Ribera-evidently the daughter or niece of its secretary Joseph de Ribera-the handsome pension of four hundred ducats, to enable her to marry. In spite of its perpetual complaints of poverty, it evidently was not an inexpensive department of the government.

The Suprema was none the less liberal in providing for the amusement and gratification of its members, in ghastly contrast with the sources from which the funds were drawn-the confiscations that ruined thousands of industrious and happy families. In fact, it gives us a new conception of the grim tribunal, which held in its hand the life and honor of every Spaniard and had as its motto "Exsurge Domine et vindica causam tuam," to note its careful provision for comfort and enjoyment on festal occasions.

We happen to have the details of the cost of the autos sacramentales performed before the Council on the Corpus Christi feast of 1659, amounting to 2040 reales vellon and 1168 of silver.2 The fiestas de toros, or bull-fights, cost nothing for the performers but were attended with elaborate and somewhat expensive preparations for the enjoyment and refreshment of the members and officials. As there were three or four of these a year, the amusement was costly, but the Suprema did not grudge expense when its own gratification was concerned. As affording an insight into this unexpected aspect of the Holy Office, I give below the items of expenditure for the "toros" of June 5, 1690, amounting to 2067 reales 7 mrs., to which is to be added, as the exhibition was given at the palace of Buen Retiro, the sum of 4400 reales paid to the treasurer of the palace for the use of the balconies occupied

1 Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Leg. 1477, fol. 45.

'The vellon payments were 1940 reales for erecting the staging and 100 for stretching the awning. The items in silver were

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Leg. 1475, fol. 52. In 1665, to reduce expenses, Philip IV ordered that these autos should not be performed separately before each royal council, but collectively before them all in the plaza.-Archivo de Alcalá, Hacienda, Leg. 5442 (Lib. 10).

by the Council and its servants. This is a single example of a constant outlay on occasions where the Suprema defrayed the expenses of its members and attendants. They were by no means confined to the toros and autos. In this same year 1690, the

1 Archivo de Simancas, Inquisicion, Leg. 1477, fol. 95, 100.

The items of the account are:

95 lbs. Genoese sweetmeats @ 10 Rs. vellon

32 Talavera dishes @ 5 cuartos

4 Baskets @ 7 Rs.

6 Trays @ 2

[ocr errors]

4 Padlocks for the baskets @ 2

32 Glasses @ 9 cuartos

6 Venetian glasses for the members of the Council

2 Talavera plates

[ocr errors]

4 Double urinals with their covers @ 3 Rs.

Rs. Mrs. 1008

18 28

30

12

10

33 30

34

10

12

30 lbs. of ordinary sweetmeats and biscuits for the attendants @ 5 Rs.

150

Porters to carry the sweetmeats to the houses of the officials and

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

10 Arrobas (250 lbs.) of snow for all the beverages @ 9 Rs.

1

sent from Retiro to keep the jars from melting

Rent of 14 garrafas (jars with ice-pails) @ 34 Rs.

Cost of one of them broken

Rent of 3 small ones for the Council

3 pecks of salt to freeze the beverages @ 22 cuartos

2 porters for the snow and cooling-jars.

8 do. to take them to Retiro and return

20

4254

[ocr errors]

13

4

90

Labor of the official who renders the account

Ornamenting and furnishing the staging

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

Apparently the utensils were a perquisite of the attendants as they seem to be furnished anew on each occasion.

« AnteriorContinuar »