And in order to confirm the above, [that a self-appointed prophet who seeks to seduce others to evil acts is no prophet] I see fit to pass on here a section of a letter I wrote years ago in reply to one which a friar from Brazil wrote to a friend of mine, saying to him among other matters that he had come across a book which confirmed the Catholic faith which the Roman church professes with powerful arguments, clear miracles and the experience of so many years. And having replied to each of these points, with regard to the "clear miracles" I replied as follows:
I do not know what clarity is this, since the whole thing is in such great obscurity. But when these things go out into clear light, they become known for what they really are, as happened with the holy nun of Lisbon, who duped everybody concerning herself and her miracles, to the extent that King Phillip II ordered her to bless the royal standard of the Armada which set out against England – and the outcome manifested her sanctity! [The ships sank.] Friar Luis de Granada wrote a book concerning his life and miracles, and was executed when his deceptions came to an end, having become known to the Inquisition. At present the nun of Careaõ, who went to see the king of Spain on account of the renown of her miracles, is a prisoner of the Inquisition. And if these and similar people had died before their deeds were examined, they would have been canonized, and had temples and altars dedicated to them, even though they were impious. The same might be said of all those who there are who died in good standing. As for dealing with miracles, large books might be written about these deceptions. Consider what the Protestants have written about this, who at one time were Catholics and had saints and miracles, but when they were finally separated, they uncovered what it was all about. As the proverb declares: Pelejaõ as comadres, descubrense as verdades. [When godmothers fight, the truth comes to light."]
– Saul Levi Mortera, Tratado da Verdade da Lei de Moisés from Obras Originais do Muy Doctissimo...Saul Levy Morteyra escrita com seu mesmo punho em idioma Portugues... [Treatise on the Truth of the Law of Moses from Original Works of the most learned...Saul Levy Morteyra, written in his own hand in the Portuguese language...] Edited by H.P. Salomon (Coimbra, 1988, by order of the University.)