And now the fathers attack her anew; and the whole griefs daily increased, with a languishment that brought her very near her grave, at last confessed all her life, all the lewdness of her practices with several princes and great men, besides her lusts with people that served her, and others in mean capacity; and lastly, the whole truth of the young friar; and how she had drawn the page, and the prince, her husband, to this designed murder of her sister. This she signed with her hand, in the presence of the prince, her husband, and several holy men who were present. Which being signified to the magistrates, the friar was immediately delivered from his irons (where he had languished more than two whole years) in great triumph, and with much honour, and lives a most exemplary pious life, and as he did before; for he is yet living in Antwerp.

After the condemnation of these two unfortunate persons, who begot such different sentiments in the minds of the people (the prince, all the compassion and pity imaginable; and the princess, all the contempt and despite); they languished almost six months longer in prison; so great an interest there was made, in order to the saving his life, by all the men of the robe. On the other side, the princes, and great men of all nations, who were at the court of Brussels, who bore a secret revenge in their hearts against a man who had, as they pretended, set up a false title, only to take place of them; who, indeed, was but a merchant’s son of Holland, as they said, so incensed them against him, that they were too hard at court for the churchmen. However, this dispute gave the prince his life some months longer than was expected; which gave him also some hope, that a reprieve for ninety years would have been granted, as was desired. Nay, Father Francisco so interested himself in this concern, that he writ to his father, and several princes of Germany, with whom Marquis Casteil de Roderigo was well acquainted, to intercede with him for the saving of Tarquin; since ‘twas more by his persuasions, than those of all who attacked her, that made Miranda confess the truth of her affair with him. But at the end of six months, when all applications were found fruitless and vain, the prince received news, that in two days he was to die, as his sentence had been before pronounced; and for which he prepared himself with all cheerfulness.

On the following Friday, as soon as it was light, all people of any condition came to take their leaves of him, and none departed with dry eyes, or hearts unconcerned to the last degree. For Tarquin, when he found his fate inevitable, bore it with a fortitude that showed no signs of regret; but addressed himself to all about him with the same cheerful, modest and great air, he was wont to do in his most flourishing fortune. His valet was dressing him all the morning, so many interruptions they had by visitors; and he was all in mourning, and so were all his followers; for even to the last, he kept up his grandeur, to the amazement of all people. And indeed, he was so passionately beloved by them, that those he had dismissed served him voluntarily, and would not be persuaded to abandon him while he lived.

The princess was also dressed in mourning, and her two women; and notwithstanding the unheard-of lewdness and villainies she had confessed of herself, the prince still adored her, for she had still those charms that made him first do so; nor, to his last moment, could be brought to wish that he had never seen her. But on the contrary, as a man yet vainly proud of his fetters, he said, all the satisfaction this short moment of life could afford him was, that he died in endeavouring to serve Miranda, his adorable princess.

After he had taken leave of all who thought it necessary to leave him to himself for some time, he retired with his confessor, where they were about an hour in prayer, all the ceremonies of devotions that were fit to be done being already past. At last the bell tolled, and he was to take leave of the princess, as his last work of life, and the most hard he had to accomplish. He threw himself at her feet; and gazing on her, as she sat more dead than alive, o’erwhelmed with silent grief, they both remained some moments speechless; and then, as if one rising tide of tears had supplied both their eyes, it burst out in streams at the same instant; and when his sighs gave way, he uttered a thousand farewells, so soft, so passionate and moving, that all who were by were extremely touched with it, and said, that nothing could be seen more deplorable and melancholy. A thousand times they bade farewell, and still some tender look or word would prevent his going; then embrace, and bid farewell again. A thousand times she asked his pardon for being the occasion of that fatal separation; a thousand times assuring him, she would follow him, for she could not live without him. And Heaven knows when their soft and sad caresses would have ended, had not the officers assured him, ‘twas time to mount, the scaffold. At which words the princess fell fainting in the arms of her women, and they led Tarquin out of the prison.

When he came to the market-place, whither he walked on foot, followed by his own domestics and some bearing a black velvet coffin, with silver hinges; the headsman before him, with his fatal scimitar drawn; his confessor by his side, and many gentlemen and churchmen, with Father Francisco, attending him; the people showering millions of blessings on him, and beholding with weeping eyes, he mounted the scaffold, which was strewed with some sawdust about the place where he was to kneel, to receive the blood. For they behead people kneeling, and with the back-stroke of a scimitar; and not lying on a block, and with an axe, as we in England. The scaffold had a low rail about it, that everybody might more conveniently see; this was hung with black, and all that state that such a death could have, was here in most decent order.

He did not say much upon the scaffold. The sum of what he said to his friends was, to be kind, and take care of the poor penitent, his wife; to others, recommending his honest and generous servants, whose fidelity was so well known and commended, that they were soon promised all preferment. He was some time in prayer, and a very short time speaking to his confessor; then he turned to the headsman, and desired him to do his office well, and gave him twenty Louis d’or;46 and undressing himself with the help of his valet and page, he pulled off his coat, and had underneath a white satin waistcoat. He took off his periwig, and put on a white satin cap, with a holland one, done with point,47 under it, which he pulled a little over his eyes; then took a cheerful leave of all, and kneeled down, and said, when he lifted up his hands the third time, the headsman should do his office. Which accordingly was done, and the headsman gave him his last stroke, and the prince fell on the scaffold. The people, with one common voice, as if it had been but one entire one, prayed for his soul, and murmurs of sighs were heard from the whole multitude, who scrambled for some of the bloody sawdust, to keep for his memory.

The headsman going to take up the head, as the manner is, to show to the people, he found he had not struck it off, and that the body stirred. With that he stepped to an engine which they always carry with them, to force those who may be refractory, thinking, as he said, to have twisted the head from the shoulders, conceiving it to hang but by a small matter of flesh. Though ’twas an odd shift of the fellow’s, yet ’twas done, and the best shift he could suddenly propose. The Margrave and another officer, old men, were on the scaffold, with some of the prince’s friends and servants; who seeing the headsman put the engine about the neck of the prince, began to call out, and the people made a great noise. The prince, who found himself yet alive; or rather, who was past thinking, but had some sense of feeling left, when the headsman took him up, and set his back against the rail, and clapped the engine about his neck, got his two thumbs between the rope and his neck, feeling himself pressed there; and struggling between life and death, and bending himself over the rail backward, while the headsman pulled forward, he threw himself quite over the rail by chance, and not design, and fell upon the heads and shoulders of the people, who were crying out with amazing shouts of joy. The headsman leapt after him, but the rabble had like to have pulled him to pieces. All the city was in an uproar, but none knew what the matter was, but those who bore the body of the prince, whom they found yet living; but how, or by what strange miracle preserved, they knew not, nor did examine; but with one accord, as if the whole crowd had been one body, and had but one motion, they bore the prince on their heads, about a hundred yards from the scaffold, where there is a monastery of Jesuits; and there they secured him.