The Inquisition being completely finished, and none but we poor coupled hounds standing aside, at length one of the captains stepped forth and said, Gracious Madam, if it please your ladyship, let these poor men who acknowledged their misunderstanding be set upon the scale, also without their incurring any danger of penalty, and only for recreation's sake, if perchance anything that is right may be found amongst them. We being untied were one after another set up. My companion was the fifth who held out bravely, whereupon all, but especially the captain, applauded him, and the Virgin shewed him the usual respect. I was the eighth. Now as soon as (with trembling) I stepped up, my companion who already sat by in his velvet, looked friendly upon me, and the Virgin herself smiled a little. But for as much as I outstayed all the weights, the Virgin commanded them to draw me up by force, wherefore three men moreover hung on the other side of the beam, and yet could nothing prevail. Whereupon one of the pages immediately stood up and cried out exceeding loud, THAT'S HE, upon which the other replied, then let him gain his liberty, which the Virgin acceded, and being received with due ceremonies, the choice was given me to release one of the captives, whosoever I pleased. Afterwards a Council of the seven captains and us was set, and the business was propounded by the Virgin as president, who desired each one to give his opinion, how the prisoners were to be dealt with. * * * * * The story is a long one, and we must present the rest only in outline. It goes on to say that the kinds of punishment to be dealt out to the prisoners were then discussed and arranged, after which another banquet took place, when these captives were required to make confession of being cheats and vagabonds, which after some expostulation they agreed to, appealing at the same time for mercy which was refused, though variations in the degrees of punishment were promised. When the sentences had all been executed, there came forward "a beautiful snow white Unicorn with a golden collar about his neck. In the same place he bowed himself down upon both his fore feet, as if hereby he had shewn honour to the Lyon, who stood so immoveably upon the fountain, that I took him to be of stone or brass, who immediately took the naked sword, which he bare in his Paw and break it in the middle in two, the pieces whereof to my thinking sunk into the fountain, after which he so long roared, until a white dove brought a branch of olive in her bill, which the Lyon devoured in an instant, and so was quieted. And so the Unicorn returned to his place with joy, while our Virgin led us down by the winding stairs."