imself, and again endeavoured to
speak, a monk stooped down and stifled the words by kissing him on the
lips. Grandier, guessing his intention, said loud enough for those next
the pile to hear, "That was the kiss of Judas!"

At these words the monks become so enraged that one of them struck
Grandier three times in the face with a crucifix, while he appeared to
be giving it him to kiss; but by the blood that flowed from his nose
and lips at the third blow those standing near perceived the truth: all
Grandier could do was to call out that he asked for a Salve Regina and
an Ave Maria, which many began at once to repeat, whilst he with clasped
hands and eyes raised to heaven commended himself to God and the Virgin.
The exorcists then made one more effort to get him to confess publicly,
but he exclaimed--

"My fathers, I have said all I had to say; I hope in God and in His
mercy."

At this refusal the anger of the exorcists surpassed all bounds, and
Pere Lactance, taking a twist of straw, dipped it in a bucket of pitch
which was standing beside the pile, and lighting it at a torch, thrust
it into his face, crying--

"Miserable wretch! will nothing force you to confess your crimes and
renounce the devil?"

"I do not belong to the devil," said Grandier, pushing away the straw
with his hands; "I have renounced the devil, I now renounce him and all
his works again, and I pray that God may have mercy on me."

At this, without waiting for the signal from the provost's lieutenant,
Pere Lactance poured the bucket of pitch on one corner of the pile of
wood and set fire to it, upon which Grandier called the executioner to
his aid, who, hastening up, tried in vain to strangle him, while the
flames spread apace.

"Ah! my brother," said the sufferer, "is this the way you keep your
promise?"

"It's not my fault," answered the executioner; "the monks have knotted
the cord, so that the noose cannot slip."

"Oh, Father Lactance! Father Lactance! have you no charity?" cried
Grandier.

The executioner by this time was forced by the increasing heat to jump
down from the pile, being indeed almost overcome; and seeing this,
Grandier stretched forth a hand into the flames, and said--

"Pere Lactance, God in heaven will judge between thee and me; I summon
thee to appear before Him in thirty days."

Grandier was then seen to make attempts to strangle himself, but either
because it was impossible, or because he felt it would be wrong