On May 23, 1498, a Wednesday morning, the execution of these three friars took place. They led them from the Palazzo [della Signoria] and had them walk on a platform that had been placed near the ringhiera. The Otto [di guardia] and the collegi were there, as well as the papal legate, the general, canons, priests, and monks of various sects, and bishop Paganotti, who had been entrusted with the task of demoting the three friars. The entire ceremony was held on the ringhiera. The friars were divested of all their paraments while the various formulae proper to the ceremony were pronounced. Throughout the entire procedure, while their heads and hands were being shaved, as is typical of the demotion ceremony, it was claimed by people that Fra Girolamo was being condemned to the stake because he was a heretic and a schismatic. The demotion completed, they handed the friars over to the Otto, who immediately ordered that they be hanged and burned. They were thus taken to the cross at the end of the platform. The first one to be hanged from one of the arms of the cross was Fra Silvestro [Maruffi]. Since the rope did not choke him, it took a while before he passed away; one could hear him repeating, "O Jesus," while hanging from the cross. The second to be hanged was Fra Domenico [da Pescia], who also continually repeated, "O Jesus." The third was the friar who had been called a heretic, who did not speak in a loud voice, but softly, and that is how he was hanged. None of them addressed the crowd, and this was regarded as a very surprising thing, especially since everyone expected to see signs from God and thought that on such an occasion the friar would somehow reveal the truth. This is what was expected, especially by the righteous people, who were eagerly awaiting God's glory, the beginning of a virtuous life, the renovation of the Church, and the conversion of the infidels. They were disappointed, therefore, that neither Savonarola nor the other two made any sort of speech. As a consequence, many lost their faith.

Once all three of them had been hanged with their faces turned to the Palazzo defla Signoria with Fra Girolamo in the center, the platform was finally moved away from the ringhiera, and a fire was prepared under the circular end of the platform. They placed gunpowder under it and then set it aflame. The heap burned amid a great noise of crackling and explosions. Within a few hours their bodies were completely burned, and their arms and legs fell off bit by bit. Since part of their torsos had remained attached to the chains, people threw stones to make them fall down. Being afraid that some might try to take pieces of the corpses, the executioner and those in charge of the ceremony pulled the cross down to the ground and burned it with a great quantity of wood. They set fire to the corpses and saw to it that none of their remains were left. They then sent for some carts to have each speck of dust brought to the Arno. The guards escorted them to Ponte Vecchio, and from there they dumped the ashes into the river, causing every last trace to disappear. Nonetheless, a number of the faithful attempted to gather the coals floating on the water. Those who did so, however, acted in secret and with fear. No one, in fact, could either mention what had happened or speak about it without risking his life, as Savonarola's enemies wanted to extinguish all memory of the friar.

Quoted from Images of Quattrocento Florence, eds. U. Baldassarri and A. Saiber (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000), pp. 281-82.