Why "Prisoners of the Gorgons"? Because in the Oxford painting the Gorgons are shown in evident fashion, and two eminent critics, condisered the leading ones in the art world, making use of their erroneous allegorical interpretation, have conditioned and altered the true reading of the painting, imposing their anti-Catholic sentiments on over 150 art historians who have directly or indirectly dealt with this work by Rubens.

A considerable portion of this volume is devoted to the Spanish Inquisition, which was, for three centuries, the most important force in Spain. Thousands were condemned by its tribunals, and its prisons and punishments make up a large part of the penal history of that country. Much exaggeration has crept into the popular accounts, but the simple truth must cause a shudder, when read to-day. The institution was created to deal with heresy, that is, with a departure from the accepted canons. The idea that there can be unity in diversity was not understood. The spiritual and the temporal powers were closely related, and bishop and king, pope and emperor, all believed that uniformity was necessary. Hence, heresy was everywhere treated as high treason not only to the Church but to the State as well. The Spanish Inquisition was a state affair as well as an ecclesiastical court. We shall see that the jurisdiction of the Inquisition was not confined to the suppression of heresy. Many crimes which to-day are purely state concerns, were then punished by it, including bigamy, blasphemy, perjury, unnatural crimes, and witchcraft. The Spanish Inquisition deserves credit for discouraging persecution of the last named offence, and thereby saved the lives of thousands, who, in any other state would have been executed. The adaptation to penal purposes of ancient buildings, to be found throughout the length and breadth of Spain, was very common, as these were immediately available although generally unsuitable. Chief among them are the many monastic buildings vacated when the laws broke up religious houses in Spain and which were mostly converted into prisons, but little deserving the name. Some of these houses have been utilised as gaols pure and simple; some have served two or more purposes as at Huelva, where the convent-prison was also a barrack. Spain has been slow in conforming to the movements towards prison reform. She could not afford to spend money on new constructions along modern lines, and the introduction of the cellular system is only of recent date. The model prison of Madrid, which has replaced the hideous Saladero, was only begun in 1887. But a few separate prisons had already been created, such as those of Loja, Pontevedra, Barcelona, Vittoria and Naval Carnero. These establishments are new to Spain but their methods and aims are too well known to call for fresh description. More interest attaches to the older forms that have so long served as places of durance.

The content of this book is for informational purposes only. The book will help those assigned to monitor prison and street gangs, criminal groups, or drug cartel operatives deciphering what they say or talk about. This book is language and slang commonly used by those criminals. It’s intended for those in the field of corrections and law enforcement. This book is a must-have for those tasked with intercepting mail, text messages, or listening to a telephone conversation. This book discusses words, terms, and language that some readers might consider profane, vulgar, racial, derogatory, or offensive. Slang terms are words or phrases that have a cultural definition that is different from the literal meaning. Slang expressions also change continually. Many expressions or words often have more than one purpose or meaning. Some phrases have been around so long that they have become idioms or common expressions where certain word combinations are different from their literal meaning.

This is a complete, unabridged republication of a Dictionary of Spoken Spanish, which was specially prepared by nationally known linguists for the U.S. War Department (TM#30-900). It is compiled from spoken Spanish and emphasizes idiom and colloquial usage in both Castilian and Latin American areas. More than 16,000 entries provide exact translations of both English and Spanish sentences and phrases; as many as 60 idioms are listed under each entry. This is easily the largest list of idiomatic constructions ever published. Travelers, business people, and students who are interested in Latin American studies have found this dictionary their best source for those expressions of daily life and social activity not usually found in books. More than 18,000 idioms are given, not as isolated words that you have to conjugate or alter, but as complete sentences that you can use without change. A 25-page introduction provides a rapid survey of Spanish sounds, grammar, and syntax, with full consideration of irregular verbs. It is especially apt in its modern treatment of phrase and clause structure. A 17-page appendix gives translations of geographical names, numbers, national holidays for Spanish countries, important street signs, useful expressions of high frequency, and a unique 7-page glossary of Spanish and Spanish-American foods and dishes.