ZELLORIGO, MARTIN DE.

The First (and Only) Outright Attack on the Inquisition Printed in Iberia. Exeptionally Rare. Spanish barrister Martin de Zellorigo published this work directed to the Spanish Inquisitor General, Dominican Friar Luis de Aliaga - and indirectly to King Philip III of Spain and simultaneously King Philip II of Portugal- contesting the procedures of the Inquisition, as well as praising the achievments of many Jews in general society. The author prides himself that both he and his wife were of pure Old Christian stock, stating here, that he served the Inquisitorial tribunal at Valladolid for twenty-eight years as lawyer for the accused and just recently (in 1619) returned to the Inquisitorial service with the tribunal of Toledo. The printer of this work is not named and it has been speculated that the book was printed illegally and subsequently confiscated and destroyed by the Inquisition. See A.S. Saraiva, H.P. Salomon, I.S.D. Sassoon, The Marrano Factory: The Portuguese Inquisition and Its New Christians 1536-1765 (2001) pp. 142-43; I.S. Révah, "Le plaidoyer en faveur des 'Nouveaux-Chrétiens' portugais du licencié Martin González de Cellorigo," REJ, Vol. 122 (1963) pp. 279-398.