He was willing, no doubt, to die a terrible death, but on condition that Savanarola died with him.

What mattered to him the death of an obscure disciple like Fra Bonvicini?
It was the master he would strike, the great teacher who must be involved in his own ruin.
So he refused to enter the fire except with Savonarola himself, and, playing this terrible game in his own person, would not allow his adversary to play it by proxy.
Then a thing happened which certainly no one could have anticipated.

In the place of Fra Francesco, who would not tilt with any but the master, two Franciscan monks appeared to tilt with the disciple.

These were Fra Nicholas de Pilly and Fra Andrea Rondinelli.

Immediately the partisans of Savonarala, seeing this arrival of reinforcements for their antagonist, came forward in a crowd to try the ordeal.