This sentence greatly astonished him, for he did not imagine that either the king or the parliament would have adjudged him to death; and he said, 'Ah, God be praised! this is a very harsh sentence,--and I supplicate and entreat that he would give me the grace to acknowledge all his bounties this day.' Then, turning to the lord de St Pierre, he said, 'This is contrary to all you have before told me would happen.' He was then transferred to four doctors in divinity, one of whom was a cordelier friar, called master John de Sordun,--another an augustin monk,--the third, the grand penitentiary of Paris,--and the fourth, master John Hugh, rector of St André des Arts, and dean of the faculty of theology in Paris. He requested of them and of the chancellor, that he might have the sacrament administered to him, which was not granted; but he had a mass chaunted, with which he was forced to content himself. They gave him holy water and holy bread, of which he ate some, but never drank of any thing from that time. He remained with these his confessors until one or two o'clock after midday, when he descended from the palace, and mounted his horse, to go to the town-house, where the scaffolds were erected for his execution. He was attended by the greffier and ushers of the court of parliament,--and on his arrival at the town-house, he dismounted, and was conducted into the office, against which a large scaffold had been placed, from whence a gallery of wood led to a smaller scaffold, which was to be the place of his execution. He made, during his stay in the office, many pitiful lamentations to his confessors, and dictated his last will, under the good pleasure of the king, to sir Denis Hesselin, who wrote down his dispositions[61]. Having staid in the office until three o'clock, he advanced on the scaffold,--and throwing himself on his knees, with his face to the church of Nôtre Dame, he was long at his prayers with much devotion and contrition; during which, master John Sordun held a crucifix before him, which he often kissed with the utmost reverence, and crying bitterly. When his prayers were ended, he rose up, and one called Petit Jean, son to Harry Cousin, the chief executioner at Paris, came to him, and, with a small cord, tied his hands, which he most patiently suffered; after which, he led him further on to the small scaffold, where he stopped and looked at the chancellor, the lord de Gaucourt, the provost of Paris, the lord de St Pierre, the greffier civil of the parliament, sir Denis Hesselin, and others the king's officers in great numbers, praying for the king, and entreating them to pray for his soul,--'not,' as he said, 'if it should cost them any thing, and be any way injurious to their interests.' He then turned to the populace, and besought them to pray for his salvation. Having done this, he placed his two knees on a small woolen cushion, having on it the arms of the town, and moved it with one of his feet more conveniently.