š Confidential Transcription ā SĆ£o JoĆ£o de Coimbra Convent
Holy Office Internal Register, Section: Doctrinal Deliberations during a Papal Vacancy
Dated: January 23, 1669 ā sealed under code D-170/Carrasca
Authored by: Dom Abel de Manara, with the presence of Dom JerĆ³nimo do Vale and Dom Lucas Monteiro
The meeting was convened by Dom Abel, inquisitorial dean of the Beira province, in response to perceived shortcomings of the Holy Office since the vacancy of the Throne of Saint Peter. It took place behind closed doors, in archival room number IV, away from novice clerics.
Dom Abel de Manara, seated behind the central desk, began:
"Gentlemenā¦ we are in a doctrinal impasse I would never have imagined. Rome has been silent since the death of Clement IX, and it has now been five weeks that the cardinals have been going in circles in their conclave."
"During this silence ā a very real man continues to build. JoĆ£o de Carrasca. The Marquis. You already know what he is. Separated from his wife, raising his sons alone in an unblessed home. Funding dams, agronomists. Patron of profane projects. And all this covered by his title of Santiago, and his popular reputation."
Dom JerĆ³nimo do Vale, looking agitated:
"He must be dismantled. Not frontally, not brutally. But layer by layer. A man like him is not burned ā he is deconstructed."
Dom Lucas Monteiro, more reserved:
"He is cited in royal circles. The King supported him during the War of Restoration. The Order of Santiago calls him a benefactor. If we act and Rome contradicts us laterā¦"
Dom Abel, cutting sharply:
"Precisely. The absence of a Pope momentarily frees us from hierarchical chains. Pontifical silence is a space for local authority. This case must be opened. This is not a common heretic. This is a symbol that diverts the people through the virtue of progress."
Dom JerĆ³nimo, nervously scribbling:
"Then let's attack. Sermons, rumors, ambiguous summonses. And if that fails ā then we go down to the sons, to the stewards, to the confessors. His wife, if she resists, will be sanctified by withdrawal. But if he fallsā¦"
Dom Abel, noting:
"If he falls, even partially, the Portuguese Inquisition will have proven that it can bring down the most prestigious strongholds."
Dom Lucas, almost a whisper:
"And if he doesn't fall? If everything holds?"
Dom Abel, without looking up:
"Then we will start again. There is no failure, Lucas ā only stages of erosion. The refusal to bend is proof of arrogance. And arrogance is corrected."
"JoĆ£o de Carrasca may not fall tomorrow. But he will fall. For everything that is divided eventually splits."
The three men affixed their handwritten signatures, with the classic formula:
"Vigilamus pro salute animarum, etiam contra laudem mundi." (We watch for the salvation of souls, even against the praise of the world.)
š Annex Note to Register D-170/Carrasca
Classification: Indirect Moral Erosion Strategy
Recipients: Doctrinal Archives ā Lisbon Tribunal
Annex attached to the central file of Marquis JoĆ£o de Carrasca
"Following the observations of the committee gathered in Coimbra on January 23, 1670, and in accordance with the spirit of doctrinal vigilance during a papal vacancy, this note sets out the measures to be intensified against the subject Carrasca in the event of absence of moral capitulation or sufficient response to the initial alert phase."
š 1. Extension to the Household The Marquis's sons, of instruction age, will be evaluated by mobile priests. š Objective: identify absence of catechism, suspicious readings, overly technical language. Stewards and tutors will be discreetly questioned. š Objective: verify presence of alternative doctrines or ambiguous moral education.
šÆļø 2. Mobilization of Indirect Preachers Sermons will be ordered in the rural parishes to the south, evoking the degradation of noble family unity. š Objective: sow moral disqualification without direct confrontation. š Target the dam region to instill the idea of unsanctified progress.
š¬ 3. Doctrinal Re-evaluation of Donations The Marquis's support for agronomists and rural logistics will be examined as diversions of providence, if not supported by ecclesiastical foundations. š Possibility of reclassifying as "non-sacramental land activism."
š 4. Infiltration by Indirect Confession An experienced confessor will be introduced into the entourage of the Marquis's wife or his sons. š Objective: collect contradictory accounts or expressions of spiritual uncertainty. š If silence is too disciplined, the confessor may evoke the temptation of a private reform ā and note the reactions.
"If, at the end of twelve weeks following this note, no significant weakening is observed, it will be appropriate to seize the liturgical opportunity of Pentecost (May 14, 1670) to make a public recall of the case by royal sermon."
Note sealed by Dom Abel de Meneses, in the presence of Dom JerĆ³nimo do Vale and Dom Lucas Monteiro "Nolite timere qui corpus occidunt ā but fear those who corrupt the structure of souls." (Luke XII, 4-5)
šÆļø Carrasca Manor ā Morning of February 4, 1669 Marquis JoĆ£o reads, back straight, a bound edition of Aristotle commented by Averroes. Two cups cool on the desk. His two sons enter ā Simao, 11, and Joao, 10.
Rafael (hesitant): "Fatherā¦ a priest came to the manor during geometry class."
JoĆ£o slowly looks up.
JoĆ£o: "Which priest? Not the one from SĆ£o LourenƧoā¦"
Joao (the younger) (lively): "No. Another one. He said he 'blessed well-ordered houses.' But he looked at our notebooks. He asked questions about Greek reading, and if we knew 'the etymology of fallen peoples'ā¦"
JoĆ£o closes his book, places his hand on the cover.
JoĆ£o: "And your tutor, what did he say?"
Simao: "That he didn't understand the point of the questions. He tried to answer cautiously."
JoĆ£o stands up. He walks slowly towards the window. The sun is pale. The silence is dense.
JoĆ£o: "The Inquisitionā¦"
š Vulcanization Workshop ā February 6, 1669 JoĆ£o immediately goes to Lisbon at dawn. He does not entrust this visit. He wants to ask Master TeotĆ³nio Corvo, the former disciple of Master Domingos, the discreet man behind the vulcanization of Amazonian rubber.
The office is vast, covered with hydraulic sketches and experimental sheets. Corvo, between two cauldrons, looks up with a tired smile.
JoĆ£o: "Have you received anyone from the clergy recently?"
Corvo (raising his eyebrows): "An abbot came by at the end of January. He wanted to 'bless progress.' He didn't say much, but he looked at my readings as if they were apocryphal texts."
JoĆ£o: "You are under the direct protection of Dom Pedro. You are a national treasure for the regency council, they won't be able to do much against you."
Corvo (somber): "They don't want to condemn me. They want to isolate me. It's slower, but more durable."
JoĆ£o: "And I, I'm going to wage war on them, isolating you will be the least of their problems."
He gets up and heads to the Horizon Brazil headquarters, to consult the steward about the Inquisition, 'this is now a certainty, they declared war on him the moment they started attacking his children.'
Here is the scene you asked me for, Johan ā JoĆ£o goes to the Horizon Brazil headquarters, early February 1670, to question the steward about signs of inquisitorial intrusion. He suspects a disguised attack, and wants to know if the steward's entourage has been targeted. The atmosphere is hushed, tense, almost diplomatic.
šÆļø Horizon Brazil Headquarters ā Steward's Office, February 6, 1669 The office is vast, covered with maritime charts, cargo registers, sealed letters.
The steward, Gaspar de Lemos, a methodical man, loyal to Horizon Brazil and its shareholders, looks up as the Marquis enters.
JoĆ£o (straightforward): "Gaspar. I've come for two things. First: have you received a masked theological request? Someone presenting themselves as a cleric, but asking questions about the company, the flows, the partners?"
Gaspar slowly stands up, goes to a cabinet, and takes out a letter folded in three.
Gaspar: "An abbot from Coimbra. He said he wanted to 'study the mechanisms of providence in modern enterprises.' He asked if our cargoes were blessed, if our partners had received sacrament, if our registers included ecclesiastical donations."
JoĆ£o takes the letter, reads it in silence. The tone is vague, but the intentions are clear.
JoĆ£o: "And your entourage? Visits, interrogations, unusual absences?"
Gaspar hesitates. Then speaks.
Gaspar: "My nephew, who manages the warehouses in Vila Nova, was summoned by a local priest. He thought it was for a blessing. But he was asked if he knew the Marquis's readings, if he had seen Greek books or unapproved agricultural treatises."
"And my secretary, Duarte, received an invitation to a 'reflection circle' organized by clerics. He refused. Since then, he says that merchants look at him differently."
"Hehehehe, and well, they are so discreetā¦"
"It's a bit worrying anyway, despite the royal pressures against themā¦ Attacking Horizon Brazilā¦"
"Hmm, I'll have to ask the others if they've also started to 'inquisition' them, but for now I need a list of Horizon Brazil's activities that are inseparable from Portugal and those that are dissociable, can you give me a summary?"
"Rubber is inseparable from Portugal, the textile company too, Horizon Brazil has more than 20% but it's entirely produced in Portugal."
Investments in shipyards tooā¦ the rest are commercial fleets, privateering, so simply finding another flag for them should be enough, there's privateering, the letters of marque from Portugal are inseparable for that, in short, apart from stocks and ships, most of Horizon Brazil is linked to Portugal for all its activities."
JoĆ£o reflects a little: after what he plans to do to confront the Inquisition on a terrain of his choosing, there will be a mandatory strategic retreat: England? No, they would take our ships. France? No, there's a risk of a pro-inquisitorial faction in France. Italy? Ha! Nonsense, JoĆ£o!!! Patience and diligence there!!!!
"What do you think of Sweden, Gaspar?"
"Sweden?"
"Yes, Sweden."
"Uh, is that the country a little north of Denmark?"
"Yesā¦" dubiouslyā¦ "where do we import most of our iron in Portugal?"
"From Sweden, but there are so many intermediariesā¦"
"Intermediaries, likeā¦ the Sith Company."
"The? Sith Company?"
"Yeah, the 'Sith Company' I'm sure it has a meaning in Swedish, something related to events."
"What Sith? Yes, they don't quite have the same alphabet as ours, it would be written 'sid' I suppose, but it's pronounced Sith, so the 'Sith Company'."
"And so what is this Sith Company?"
"Ha, but I'm asking youā¦"
"Uh, do we need to register a new company? In Portugal? A Swedish company?"
"Listen: you're under too much pressure thereā¦ no, in Swedenā¦ with a starting capital ofā¦ how much do we have available without counting the precious stones we've all hidden?"
"150 tons of silver, for now I was thinking of melting them into espada, the rest are stocks, but spices, apart from pepper, are almost out of the question, unless in small quantities, rolls of rubber, we can avoid selling them by talking about a reduced production year due to something in Brazilā¦ rubber has been so in demand that it's comparable to a currency for a few years now."
"How would we go about establishing this new company in Sweden, let's say 150 tons of silver directly into one bank, or distributed through several intermediary banks in England and any Protestant country before gathering everything in Sweden whenā¦ I'm not talking about the rest of the project for nowā¦"
"First, you should know that the Baltic is frozen right now, so not reachable, there are our Scottish friends via Dom Miguel, and Hamburg, on site the Sith Company is a Swedish company that must deposit the funds in these banks since: they can't enter Sweden right now with their cargo, followingā¦ a big sale of iron ingots."
Gaspar thinks before writing down a plan, JoĆ£o lets him work and returns to the manor while waiting for him to finish establishing the plan.
Carrasca Manor ā Private Study, February 13, 1669 The oil lamp smokes slightly. JoĆ£o sits near the window, his brow furrowed, his fingers resting on an Horizon Brazil register. Gaspar enters without waiting to be announced, carrying a scroll, a notebook, and a brown seal.
Gaspar (calm, direct): "Dom JoĆ£o. The plan is ready. We can begin."
JoĆ£o looks up. Gaspar unrolls the parchment on the table, the detailed plan unfolding before JoĆ£o.
Gaspar: "Ten flutes bought from English and Dutch intermediaries. Delivered at sea within five days. Frisian flag for five, Scottish for the others. On board, technical manifests, fictitious cargoes. Not a word about Horizon Brazil."
He opens the notebook: "Flute 1: Hamburg. Flute 2: Edinburgh. The others wait at sea, or simulate deliveries to the Baltic."
JoĆ£o: "And the Swedish port?"
Gaspar: "Gothenburg is partially frozen. But two local captains confirmed offshore access to me. Cargoes can transit by barges. No dock, no visible registers."
JoĆ£o: "And the origin of the funds?"
Gaspar smiles: "Swedish iron sold in Porto, paid in silver ingots and colonial supplements, a little spices, a few rolls of rubber. Nothing that cannot be explained for a Swedish company that sold iron to Portugal. So no risk of seizure for 'unknown origin of funds'ā¦ and besides: who would want to alienate Sweden and endanger their access to its iron?"
JoĆ£o: "Excellent remark, I hadn't paid attention to that detail: who would want Sweden as an enemy when most of their weapons depend on their iron? And the company?"
Gaspar: "Sith Company. Registration ready in Gothenburg. Purpose: event, agrarian, and maritime logistics. Equal sharing among the eleven. Not a trace in Portugal, except what we say."
"The bills of exchange are activated. Hamburg responds in five days, Edinburgh in seven. Danzig is frozen, we will avoid it. In May, the fleet returns. In April, everything is in place."
JoĆ£o stands up. The parchment floats gently in the air.
JoĆ£o: "And if Holland tries to cut the wind?"
Gaspar: "She won't see anything. No stopover. No trace. And even if she suspectsā¦ she won't be able to claim anything. It's not a conspiracy. It's an enterprise."
JoĆ£o remains silent, then nods.
JoĆ£o: "Then trigger it. Let the North become the source of a great howl."
Confidential Letter from Miguel de Tomar ā February 11, 1669
Recipient: Master Alasdair Brodie, Edinburgh
Subject: Accounting Reassurance Movement ā code C/47-Sith
"Dear friend,
The southern winds are becoming unstable. It is therefore necessary, for the comfort of the northern warehouses, to move the heaviest balances to temperature-controlled strongboxes. I ask you to prepare the sails and registers for a transfer across the iron line ā between the sea of barges and the frozen salt quays."
The initial deposit will amount to the equivalent of fifty-eight candles, distributed according to the usual triptych:
š¹ one light for the workshops,
š¹ one for the monks,
š¹ one for the navigators.
The whole must arrive before the end of the fortnight, at the port where one writes "Gƶteborg" but where one reads "logical rest."
The initiative belongs to all eleven wind tailors ā you saw them act against the oriental fabrics once. The new name is that of a moment pronounced 'Sith', but understood above all as a mutation without fanfare. I ask you to use only stone names to identify transfers: no salt, no fire, just well-folded shadows."
I would be grateful if you would send confirmation with the mention 'the snow descends by three staircases', if you accept. If not, change it to 'the tide does not touch the bells'.
In vigilant friendship,
Miguel de Tomar
Coimbra Counter ā R-89/Echo 3
And a few weeks later;
Bank of Edinburgh ā Master Alasdair Brodie
"Monsieur de Lemos,
The balances have been adjusted according to the three candles mentioned. The Northern port is ready to receive the flows, and the registers have been opened under the name of the company mentioned.
We have noted that the eleven wind tailors have acted with the same precision as in the time of oriental fabrics.
The snow descends by three staircases. The rest will follow silently."
Bank of Hamburg ā KrĆ¼ger & Sƶhne House
"Sir,
The cargoes have been received in the form of rolls and ingots. The manifest indicates technical use, as agreed.
The company name has been registered in our maritime register under the mention 'event logistics'.
No cleric has asked to consult the registers. We noted this as a good omen."
_________
š Lenten Sermon ā 1669
In the Chapel of SĆ£o SebastiĆ£o, Lisbon, Second Sunday of March"Necesse est enim ut veniant scandala" ā "For it is necessary that scandals come." (Matthew XVIII, 7)
šÆļø I. The Art of the Mask and Blatant Responsibility
Beloved children of light,
This is the time of Lent, when masks fall, and when the soul, naked before God, can neither feign nor flee.
This time, the Church gives it as a mirror for the powerful, whose duty is not only worldly, but apostolic: "Exemplo enim estis" ā For you are an example, O you whose coats of arms are known, O you whose every absence, every silence, every closed door makes more noise than a thousand bell towers.
Do not believe that by remaining distant, separated from the common table, one can deceive the gaze of the Most High, nor of those who serve Him here below.
āļø II. Dissolved Households: Melting of salt, ashes of the world
For "Sal terrƦ", says the Lord ā "You are the salt of the earth." Now, what becomes of a country whose aristocratic tables are emptied of their couples, and whose children grow between two homes, like exiles in their own house? Soon, my brothers, Lisbon will no longer be said to shine with its palaces, but to weep for its extinguished households. Who feeds this discreet poison? Not naming, is sometimes more charitableā¦ But we know what is not said. "Aures habent et non audiunt" ā "They have ears and hear not," but let no one here think themselves beyond the reach of the judgment they inspire.
š III. Nobility in Obligation: a Right, a Redoubt
The King, vigilant, wished that no absence from Mass would go unnoticed. "Where the noble is absent, rumor rushes in," and what rumor begins, the Inquisition finishes. God alone judges; the Church instructs. There are marchionesses who receive more in their salon than at the altar. There are marquises who are seen more at Councils than at confessions. But neither wealth, nor birth, nor discretion can abolish this commandment: "Attendite vobis" ā "Beware of yourselves."
š„ IV. Separations without forgiveness: the shadow before the storm
The most terrible, my brothers, is not that some live in broken homesā¦ but that they have made it a habit and a social mark: "Superbia ante ruinam" ā "Pride goes before destruction." Let each one this Sunday, hearing my warning, ask, in Silence, a question: Why separate what God has united? Why offer the century the scandal of an example destined for discord?
šÆļø V. The Pastor's Warning ā and its echo
He who considers himself outside the Church is already judged; He whom his rank protects better than his soul ā what will he think, when the summons comes? For ā let it not be ignored ā when the rumor has swelled too much, when the trouble has drawn too many weak souls to doubt, then it will be necessary, for public peace, to examine private peace. "Non enim cito oblivioni tradentur" ā "For nothing is quickly forgotten" by the Holy Inquisition.
Conclusion
Pray then, noble Portuguese, that your name may not be attached to scandal, that your return to Mass be sincere, and that, in the coming days, no one will have to justify what all of Lisbon is already murmuring.
The benches are filled with downcast eyes,
Behind their fans, the ladies brush glances,
Murmurs flow, heavy like threats of summer rain,
JoĆ£o, knowing he was targeted squinted his eyesā¦ thinking: "Arrogance goes before destruction? The scandalā¦ of the Inquisition must come out. You have always told the truth, inquisitors."
For him, the war that has already begun only awaits the arrival of the fleet returning from the Indies."
Many feel the unease creeping in, this collective awareness of an upcoming summons.
As the chapter slowly leaves ā and already, discreet alliances reform, each thinking of their own security, others less concerned about the Inquisition wonder what these guys are preparing, who have, after all, on numerous occasions performed miracles and wonders for Portugal, and what the Inquisition could be thinking of to attack them???