An English 17th Century definition of the Inquisition

A 17th Century English definition of the Inquisition:

The Spanish INQUISITION, a Tribunal or great Council, first erected by Ferdinand, the Catholick King of Spain, and the Pope, to cause all Moors and Jews living there to be baptized: but now the Power of it is exercised with all Barbarity and Cruelty against Christians, under the Notion of Hereticks, and all that are not staunch Roman Catholicks.

Nathan Bailey, An universal etymological English dictionary, 1675

The real reason why Jews were expelled from Spain!

I love this! Of course, some Christians really believed that Jews had tails.

There liv'd here also in Times past, a great number of Jews, till they were expell'd by Ferdinand; and as I have read in an old Spanish Legend, the cause was this: The King had a young Prince to his Son, who was us'd to play with a Jewish Doctor that was about the Court, who had a ball of gold in a string hanging down his breast: The little Prince one day snatch'd away the said golden ball, and carried it to the next room; the ball being hollow, open'd, and within there was painted our Saviour kissing a Jew's tail. Hereupon they were all suddenly disterr'd and exterminated; yet I believe in Portugal there lurks yet good store of them.

James Howell, Epistolæ Ho-Elianæ. 1737. Page 160