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If appearances were not actually against Luis de Leon, they combined to reveal him in his least attractive posture. His comparative promptitude in accepting Mancio as patrono, his unwillingness to abide by his choice, his sudden hostility to Mancio, his final acceptance of Mancio, are all explicable variations.
These phrases can scarcely have been used in their natural sense, for Luis de Leon concluded his written petition by stating that he was still willing to accept Mancio as his patrono, if Mancio were able to be present at Valladolid. Should this be impossible, the prisoner asked that Dr. Vadillo, Canon of Plasencia, and the Augustinian Fray Francisco Cueto should be assigned to him as patronos.
Four days later the General Inquisition wrote to the same judges, hinting that a decision might be given shortly. The Valladolid Court was stirred into temporary activity. A sitting was held on March 30; Mancio was present; a consultation took place between him and his client; and henceforth we hear no more of difficulties in connexion with Luis de Leon's patrono.
He appeared in court on October 16, and protested against any of his papers being entrusted to Mancio, lest he should take them to his Dominican monastery where they ran the risk of being scanned by hostile eyes.
It is more likely, however, that the three names were put forward in a paroxysm of impatience at a moment when Luis de Leon was willing to fall in with any arrangement which might hasten a decision of his case. Mancio was appointed patrono, and was duly sworn in at Valladolid on October 9, 1574; on October 13 he made a report favourable to the accused.
We gather that he was profoundly attached to the ancient order of things and that, though accused of interpreting the Bible in a rabbinical sense, he had never read a rabbinical book. We learn that among his teachers were Guevara, Mancio, Cipriano, and Melchor Cano; of these he would seem most to have esteemed Cano.
With regard to Mancio, he complained of his patrono's omission to confer with him, expressed some suspicion that Mancio might have become a party to Medina's plot, declined to accept as valid Mancio's excuse for not attending that he had to lecture in Salamanca and vehemently declared that Mancio's negligence amounted to very grave sin.
Nevertheless they showed a disregard for superficial consistency which might easily be misinterpreted as caprice. The bias of the court had been veering away from the prisoner for some time. His series of actions with respect to Mancio lost him all judicial favour.
XI, p. 35. XI, p. 37. The instructions of the Supreme Inquisition to the Valladolid judges were as follows: 'En lo que escrebís quel maestro fray Luis de Leon ha recusado al maestro Mancio, que le habia nombrado por patrono, y pedido traslado de lo que dejó escripto en su negocio; consultado con el Reverendísimo Señor Inquisidor general, ha parecido aviseis, Señores, al dicho maestro Mancio que no vuelva ahí hasta que otra cosa se le ordene, y proseguiréis en la causa del dicho fray Luis de Leon sin embargo de la dicha recusacion, y sin darle copia de lo quel dicho maestro Mancio dejó anotado en él; y ponerse ha la dicha nota en el proceso signado y autorizado de uno de los notarios del Secreto, para que dello conste.
The local judges referred the application to the Supreme Inquisition, and were instructed to proceed as though nothing unusual had happened; Mancio, however, was to be told to stay away still further notice. On December 7 Luis de Leon handed in a written explanation of his recent action.
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