romola had seemed to hear, as if they had been a cry, the words repeated to her by many lips — the words uttered by savonarola when he took leave of those brethren of san marco who had come to witness his signature of the confession: ‘pray for me, for god has withdrawn from me the spirit of prophecy.’
those words had shaken her with new doubts as to the mode in which he looked back at the past in moments of complete self-possession. and the doubts were strengthened by more piteous things still, which soon reached her ears.
the nineteenth of may had come, and by that day’s sunshine there had entered into florence the two papal commissaries, charged with the completion of savonarola’s trial. they entered amid the acclamations of the people, calling for the death of the frate. for now the popular cry was, ‘it is the frate’s deception that has brought on all our misfortunes; let him be burned, and all things right will be done, and our evils will cease.’
the next day it is well certified that there was fresh and fresh torture of the shattered sensitive frame; and now, at the first sight of the horrible implements, savonarola. in convulsed agitation, fell on his knees, and in brief passionate words retracted his confession, declared that he had spoken falsely in denying his prophetic gift, and that if he suffered, he would suffer for the truth — ‘the things that i have spoken, i had them from god.’
but not the less the torture was laid upon him, and when he was under it he was asked why he had uttered those retracting words. men were not demons in those days, and yet nothing but confessions of guilt were held a reason for release from torture. the answer came: ‘i said it that i might seem good; tear me no more, i will tell you the truth.’
there were florentine assessors at this new trial, and those words of twofold retractation had soon spread. they filled romola with dismayed uncertainty.
‘but’ — it ‘dashed across her — ‘there will come a moment when he may speak. when there is no dread hanging over him but the dread of falsehood, when they have brought him into the presence of death, when he is lifted above the people, and looks on them for the last time, they cannot hinder him from speaking a last decisive word. i will be there.’
three days after, on the 23d of may l498, there was again a long narrow platform stretching across the great piazza, from the palazzo veccbio towards the tetto de’ pisani. but there was no grove of fuel as before: instead of that, there was one great heap of fuel placed on the circular area which made the termination of the long narrow platform. and above this heap of fuel rose a gibbet with three halters on it; a gibbet which, having two arms, still looked so much like a cross as to make some beholders uncomfortable, though one arm had been truncated to avoid the resemblance.
on the marble terrace of the palazzo were three tribunals; one near the door for the bishop, who was to perform the ceremony of degradation on fra girolamo and the two brethren who were to suffer as his followers and accomplices; another for the papal commissaries, who were to pronounce them heretics and schismatics, and deliver them over to the secular arm; and a third, close to marzocco, at the corner of the terrace where the platform began, for the gonfaloniere, and the eight who were to pronounce the sentence of death.
again the piazza was thronged with expectant faces: again there was to be a great fire kindled. in the majority of the crowd that pressed around the gibbet the expectation was that of ferocious hatred, or of mere hard curiosity to behold a barbarous sight. but there were still many spectators on the wide pavement, on the roofs, and at the windows, who, in the midst of their bitter grief and their own endurance of insult as hypocritical piagnoni, were not without a lingering hope, even at this eleventh hour, that god would interpose, by some sign, to manifest their beloved prophet as his servant. and there were yet more who looked forward with trembling eagerness, as romola did, to that final moment when savonarola might say, ‘o people, i was innocent of deceit.’
romola was at a window on the north side of the piazza. far away from the marble terrace where the tribunals stood; and near her, also looking on in painful doubt concerning the man who had won his early reverence, was a young florentine of two-and-twenty, named jacopo nardi, afterwards to deserve honour as one of the very few who, feeling fra girolamo’s eminence, have written about him with the simple desire to be veracious. he had said to romola, with respectful gentleness, when he saw the struggle in her between her shuddering horror of the scene and her yearning to witness what might happen in the last moment —
‘madonna, there is no need for you to look at these cruel things. i will tell you when he comes out of the palazzo. trust to me; i know what you would see.’
romola covered her face, but the hootings that seemed to make the hideous scene still visible could not be shut out. at last her arm was touched, and she heard the words, ‘he comes.’ she looked towards the palace, and could see savonarola led out in his dominican garb; could see him standing before the bishop, and being stripped of the black mantle, the white scapulary and long white tunic, till he stood in a close woollen under-tunic, that told of no sacred office, no rank. he had been degraded, and cut off from the church militant.’
the baser part of the multitude delight in degradations, apart from any hatred; it is the satire they best understand. there was a fresh hoot of triumph as the three degraded brethren passed on to the tribunal of the papal commissaries, who were to pronounce them schismatics and heretics. did not the prophet look like a schismatic and heretic now? it is easy to believe in the damnable state of a man who stands stripped and degraded.
then the third tribunal was passed — that of the florentine officials who were to pronounce sentence, and amongst whom, even at her distance, romola could discern the odious figure of dolfo spini, indued in the grave black lucco, as one of the eight.
then the three figures, in their close white raiment, trod their way along the platform, amidst yells and grating tones of insult.
‘cover your eyes, madonna,’ said jacopo nardi; ‘fra girolamo will be the last.’
it was not long before she had to uncover them again. savonarola was there. he was not far off her now. he had mounted the steps; she could see him look round on the multitude.
but in the same moment expectation died, and she only saw what he was seeing — torches waving to kindle the fuel beneath his dead body, faces glaring with a yet worse light; she only heard what he was hearing — gross jests, taunts, and curses.
the moment was past. her face was covered again, and she only knew that savonarola’s voice had passed into eternal silence.
