the hour of eleven
The condemned men had been brought from the Tower shortly after midnight , and were now lodged in the space beneath the scaffold , which had been converted into a kind of closed pen . The hour for the execution was eleven , and as the time approached the multitude gradually swelled , being increased by thousands ; as though some pitiless monster were fattening itself upon thoughts of the blood so soon to be shed . Again and again the pikemen were forced to thrust back the surging mass , and at last the soldiers did not hesitate to use their weapons as the throng forced its way up to the very ropes surrounding the scaffold . But now above the babel of tongues the great bell of the Cathedral boomed out the hour of eleven . As its last note died away the roar of voices gradually subsided , until it sunk into a dull murmur of expectancy , but again it broke forth into a cheer as the headsman ascended the stairs leading to the scaffold . This man was popular with the rabble and noted for his dexterity and strength . As the applause greeted him he recognized the homage rendered with a bow .