The Prime Minister by William Henry Giles Kingston
Guiltyin the sight of Heaven, some of the accused too probably were, but by nolaw founded on common equity or humanity were they proved so.
The morning of the 13th of January broke dark and gloomy on the heads ofa vast concourse of people, already assembled in a large open space onthe borders of the Tagus, near the Castle of Belem.
In the background was the Quinta of Bichos, the entrance-door of whichopened towards the river, and round it was now stationed a strong bodyof troops under arms. Here the noble prisoners since their condemnationhad been confined, and thither also, during the dark hours of night, theMarchioness of Tavora had been removed from the Convent of Grillos. Infront of the gateway, and close to the water, appeared a scaffold,which, since the setting of the sun, workmen had been incessantlyemployed in erecting, and on which the sound of their hammers was stillheard. It was fourteen feet high by thirty long, and twenty broad,covered with black, without ornament of any sort; a wide flight of stepswith balustrades leading up to it, on the side towards the Quinta. Onthe scaffold were seen two posts painted black, a chair, and a bench, onwhich were placed heavy iron mallets, and an instrument with a longhandle, and an immense iron weight shaped like a quoit at the end of it;there were, besides, several large St. Andrew's crosses of wood, and thesame number of wheels, and many other instruments of torture. Tworegiments of infantry and two of cavalry were drawn up from the gate ofthe Quinta to the steps of the scaffold, extending their lines also oneach side of the square; the embouchure of every street leading to thespot was also occupied by troops, companies of cavalry moving up anddown them continually, and allowing no one to pass who wore a cloak, orcould in any way have concealed arms about his person, without examininghim. Notwithstanding, however, every impediment, thousands of personspressed eagerly forward to the scene of execution, of every rank, age,and sex, mostly excited by that vulgar curiosity which has, among allnations, and in all times, drawn people together, however revolting thespectacle might be, one would suppose, to human nature.
Here were collected, mothers with children in their arms, whom they heldup to behold the black scaffold, and the glittering arms, and gaudyuniforms of the soldiers, the little wretches cooing with delight,unconscious of the meaning of the scene: here were old men leaning ontheir staves, and discussing the late events with stoical indifference;sturdy ruffians, who longed eagerly for the commencement of the horriddrama; boys, youths with the down still on their lips,--ay, and youngmaidens too, listening to their tones of courtship, and smiling as theylistened; many sat in groups discussing their morning meal, regardlessof which they had hurried from their homes;--yes, there was love-making,laughter, and feasting; but dark Death, with his most terrific horrors,was the great actor they came to behold--all else, like a dullinterlude, was insipid and tame.
The water also was covered with boats crowded with people, many too, ofthe higher ranks, anxious to behold the scene, yet unwilling to beobserved by the common people, as they sat shrouded in their cloaks,waiting in silence for the commencement.
There was one boat which attracted great attention; it was a barge,moored to the quay, and loaded with faggots, wood, torches, and barrelsof pitch.
"What, is all that firewood for?" asked a nursing mother of her husband;"there is enough there to supply us to the end of our lives."
"What, in that boat? Oh! that is doubtless the wood to burn thecriminals."
"Jesu Maria!" exclaimed the woman, "they are not going to burn themalive?"
"Why not?" answered the man, "the holy office does so, and what they domust be right."
"Ay, yes, I forgot; of course, they are right," muttered the woman.
"Burn them, to be sure they will," chimed in a neighbour; "and willserve the regicides right. Do you know what they did? They tried tokill the King, the Queen, the Minister, and all the royal family, thewretches!"
"What! did they? Then they deserve to be burnt, doubtless," cried thewoman.
"Ay, that did they, the haughty fidalgos!" exclaimed the neighbour; "weshall, now we have got rid of them, have some chance of becomingfidalgos ourselves."
"Oh! it will be a glorious sight!" cried another of the crowd, "fullfifty fidalgos all burning and shrieking together; far better than anyAuto-da-fe--the holy office never burns more than eight or ten at atime."
"Full fifty! gracious Virgin!" cried a girl. "Who are they?"
"Ay, and more than fifty. Let me see; there are the Duke and Duchess ofAveiro, and all their household and children, the Marquis andMarchioness of Tavora, the younger Marquis, his brother and theirsisters, the Marquis of Alorna, and his family; the Conde de Atouquia,and Captain Romeiro. Let me see, there are many more--oh! there areGoncalo Christovao, who excited the rebellion at Oporto, and the youngCount of Almeida, the Count of--"
"Who did you say?" exclaimed a young man, a stranger to the party, whowas standing near. "Who was the last person you mentioned to beexecuted?"
"The Count of Almeida," answered the oracle of the party, coolly. "Hecame to Lisbon the very morning of the outrage, and has, it is said, thevery look of an assassin."
"It is a vile falsehood, and anybody who says he is guilty, is avillain," exclaimed the young man, vehemently. "My master would neverhurt a lamb, much more fire at a king."
"Your master? then you ought to be in his company, my fine fellow,"answered the man, who was in a most loyal mood. "The masters andservants are all to be burnt together."
"Burnt! my dear master burnt alive!" ejaculated Pedro, almostunconsciously; for it was he, having wandered about the city, daily,unable to gain any tidings of the Count, till he, at last, heard hisname mentioned among the captives, and had now, with sorrow and fear,come to the place of execution, expecting to see his beloved masteramong the sufferers. Not knowing the precautions taken to prevent achance of escape, he watched, with feverish anxiety, the appearance ofthe prisoners, in the hopes of finding some means of rescuing him. Notliking the proposal of the people, near whom he was standing, and beingunable to gain any further information from them, he moved away toanother group, one of whom appeared to know a great deal about thematter.
"Can you tell me, Senhor, the names of the conspirators who are tosuffer?" asked Pedro, with tears in his eyes, and a faltering voice.
"Of course, my friend, I shall be happy to enlighten you to the utmostof my power," answered the person he addressed, enumerating the samenames as the former one, with a few additions.
Poor Pedro wrung his hands with agony.
"Alas, alas! are they to be burnt alive?" he asked.
"Oh, no, not all of them," said his informant. "Some of them are, forwhich purpose you see those black posts erected, to fasten them to. Theladies are to lose their heads, the leaders are to be beaten to death,and the others are to be strangled. A few only are to be burnt alive,to please the people; and then the scaffold, and all the bodies, will beconsumed together and thrown into the river."
Pedro could listen to no more of the dreadful details, but, hurryingaway to a distance, he sat himself down on a stone, and hiding his facein his hands, he gave way to the anguish of his feelings, in tears.Suddenly, however, recovering his presence of mind, he considered how hemight yet afford some aid to the hapless young Count.
While the scene we have described was proceeding, one of violence anddestruction was enacting in another part of the city. A vast mob werecollected in and around the palaces of the Marquis of Tavora and theDuke of Aveiro; some employed in dragging forth the rich and valuablefurniture, breaking it in pieces, and piling it in heaps to burn; someendeavouring to conceal the smaller articles about their persons; andothers fighting and wrangling about the booty. A few minutes sufficedto accomplish the act of destruction, when workmen instantly commenceddemolishing the entire edifices, and ere their once proud owners hadceased to breathe, already were they in ruins. When the palaces werecompletely razed to the ground, salt was sprinkled over their sites; andon that of the Duke of Aveiro a column was erected, on which wasinscribed his cri
me and punishment.
To return to the former scene. At length, at seven o'clock, the gatesof the Quinta were thrown open. "They come! they come!" murmured thecrowd, as a body of horsemen were seen to issue forth, some in uniforms,being the chief military commanders of the kingdom, others in darkcloaks, who were the principal officers of the crown, the ministers ofjustice, the criminal judges, and others. The Prime Minister was notamong them. He, it was said, contemplated at a distance the work he hadordered.
Forming in two lines, between them appeared a sedan-chair, paintedblack, the bearers dressed in the same hue, and on each side walked afriar of the Capuchin order. As they advanced towards the scaffold, thedragoons formed round them, and, at the same time, the chiefexecutioner, with
The morning of the 13th of January broke dark and gloomy on the heads ofa vast concourse of people, already assembled in a large open space onthe borders of the Tagus, near the Castle of Belem.
In the background was the Quinta of Bichos, the entrance-door of whichopened towards the river, and round it was now stationed a strong bodyof troops under arms. Here the noble prisoners since their condemnationhad been confined, and thither also, during the dark hours of night, theMarchioness of Tavora had been removed from the Convent of Grillos. Infront of the gateway, and close to the water, appeared a scaffold,which, since the setting of the sun, workmen had been incessantlyemployed in erecting, and on which the sound of their hammers was stillheard. It was fourteen feet high by thirty long, and twenty broad,covered with black, without ornament of any sort; a wide flight of stepswith balustrades leading up to it, on the side towards the Quinta. Onthe scaffold were seen two posts painted black, a chair, and a bench, onwhich were placed heavy iron mallets, and an instrument with a longhandle, and an immense iron weight shaped like a quoit at the end of it;there were, besides, several large St. Andrew's crosses of wood, and thesame number of wheels, and many other instruments of torture. Tworegiments of infantry and two of cavalry were drawn up from the gate ofthe Quinta to the steps of the scaffold, extending their lines also oneach side of the square; the embouchure of every street leading to thespot was also occupied by troops, companies of cavalry moving up anddown them continually, and allowing no one to pass who wore a cloak, orcould in any way have concealed arms about his person, without examininghim. Notwithstanding, however, every impediment, thousands of personspressed eagerly forward to the scene of execution, of every rank, age,and sex, mostly excited by that vulgar curiosity which has, among allnations, and in all times, drawn people together, however revolting thespectacle might be, one would suppose, to human nature.
Here were collected, mothers with children in their arms, whom they heldup to behold the black scaffold, and the glittering arms, and gaudyuniforms of the soldiers, the little wretches cooing with delight,unconscious of the meaning of the scene: here were old men leaning ontheir staves, and discussing the late events with stoical indifference;sturdy ruffians, who longed eagerly for the commencement of the horriddrama; boys, youths with the down still on their lips,--ay, and youngmaidens too, listening to their tones of courtship, and smiling as theylistened; many sat in groups discussing their morning meal, regardlessof which they had hurried from their homes;--yes, there was love-making,laughter, and feasting; but dark Death, with his most terrific horrors,was the great actor they came to behold--all else, like a dullinterlude, was insipid and tame.
The water also was covered with boats crowded with people, many too, ofthe higher ranks, anxious to behold the scene, yet unwilling to beobserved by the common people, as they sat shrouded in their cloaks,waiting in silence for the commencement.
There was one boat which attracted great attention; it was a barge,moored to the quay, and loaded with faggots, wood, torches, and barrelsof pitch.
"What, is all that firewood for?" asked a nursing mother of her husband;"there is enough there to supply us to the end of our lives."
"What, in that boat? Oh! that is doubtless the wood to burn thecriminals."
"Jesu Maria!" exclaimed the woman, "they are not going to burn themalive?"
"Why not?" answered the man, "the holy office does so, and what they domust be right."
"Ay, yes, I forgot; of course, they are right," muttered the woman.
"Burn them, to be sure they will," chimed in a neighbour; "and willserve the regicides right. Do you know what they did? They tried tokill the King, the Queen, the Minister, and all the royal family, thewretches!"
"What! did they? Then they deserve to be burnt, doubtless," cried thewoman.
"Ay, that did they, the haughty fidalgos!" exclaimed the neighbour; "weshall, now we have got rid of them, have some chance of becomingfidalgos ourselves."
"Oh! it will be a glorious sight!" cried another of the crowd, "fullfifty fidalgos all burning and shrieking together; far better than anyAuto-da-fe--the holy office never burns more than eight or ten at atime."
"Full fifty! gracious Virgin!" cried a girl. "Who are they?"
"Ay, and more than fifty. Let me see; there are the Duke and Duchess ofAveiro, and all their household and children, the Marquis andMarchioness of Tavora, the younger Marquis, his brother and theirsisters, the Marquis of Alorna, and his family; the Conde de Atouquia,and Captain Romeiro. Let me see, there are many more--oh! there areGoncalo Christovao, who excited the rebellion at Oporto, and the youngCount of Almeida, the Count of--"
"Who did you say?" exclaimed a young man, a stranger to the party, whowas standing near. "Who was the last person you mentioned to beexecuted?"
"The Count of Almeida," answered the oracle of the party, coolly. "Hecame to Lisbon the very morning of the outrage, and has, it is said, thevery look of an assassin."
"It is a vile falsehood, and anybody who says he is guilty, is avillain," exclaimed the young man, vehemently. "My master would neverhurt a lamb, much more fire at a king."
"Your master? then you ought to be in his company, my fine fellow,"answered the man, who was in a most loyal mood. "The masters andservants are all to be burnt together."
"Burnt! my dear master burnt alive!" ejaculated Pedro, almostunconsciously; for it was he, having wandered about the city, daily,unable to gain any tidings of the Count, till he, at last, heard hisname mentioned among the captives, and had now, with sorrow and fear,come to the place of execution, expecting to see his beloved masteramong the sufferers. Not knowing the precautions taken to prevent achance of escape, he watched, with feverish anxiety, the appearance ofthe prisoners, in the hopes of finding some means of rescuing him. Notliking the proposal of the people, near whom he was standing, and beingunable to gain any further information from them, he moved away toanother group, one of whom appeared to know a great deal about thematter.
"Can you tell me, Senhor, the names of the conspirators who are tosuffer?" asked Pedro, with tears in his eyes, and a faltering voice.
"Of course, my friend, I shall be happy to enlighten you to the utmostof my power," answered the person he addressed, enumerating the samenames as the former one, with a few additions.
Poor Pedro wrung his hands with agony.
"Alas, alas! are they to be burnt alive?" he asked.
"Oh, no, not all of them," said his informant. "Some of them are, forwhich purpose you see those black posts erected, to fasten them to. Theladies are to lose their heads, the leaders are to be beaten to death,and the others are to be strangled. A few only are to be burnt alive,to please the people; and then the scaffold, and all the bodies, will beconsumed together and thrown into the river."
Pedro could listen to no more of the dreadful details, but, hurryingaway to a distance, he sat himself down on a stone, and hiding his facein his hands, he gave way to the anguish of his feelings, in tears.Suddenly, however, recovering his presence of mind, he considered how hemight yet afford some aid to the hapless young Count.
While the scene we have described was proceeding, one of violence anddestruction was enacting in another part of the city. A vast mob werecollected in and around the palaces of the Marquis of Tavora and theDuke of Aveiro; some employed in dragging forth the rich and valuablefurniture, breaking it in pieces, and piling it in heaps to burn; someendeavouring to conceal the smaller articles about their persons; andothers fighting and wrangling about the booty. A few minutes sufficedto accomplish the act of destruction, when workmen instantly commenceddemolishing the entire edifices, and ere their once proud owners hadceased to breathe, already were they in ruins. When the palaces werecompletely razed to the ground, salt was sprinkled over their sites; andon that of the Duke of Aveiro a column was erected, on which wasinscribed his cri
To return to the former scene. At length, at seven o'clock, the gatesof the Quinta were thrown open. "They come! they come!" murmured thecrowd, as a body of horsemen were seen to issue forth, some in uniforms,being the chief military commanders of the kingdom, others in darkcloaks, who were the principal officers of the crown, the ministers ofjustice, the criminal judges, and others. The Prime Minister was notamong them. He, it was said, contemplated at a distance the work he hadordered.
Forming in two lines, between them appeared a sedan-chair, paintedblack, the bearers dressed in the same hue, and on each side walked afriar of the Capuchin order. As they advanced towards the scaffold, thedragoons formed round them, and, at the same time, the chiefexecutioner, with