He Sang and Skipped on the Way to the Scaffold

Under the weak rule of the youthful King Louis many noblemen, relying on the partiality of the provincial officials against the burgher estate, did the townsmen grievous harm. The towns therefore joined in a league against these malefactors, took several of their strongholds and delivered the robbers up for execution, regardless of their noble birth. Thus in 1520 the men of Prague took the stronghold of Tochovice between Milín and Březnice, where they found a great quantity of stolen goods, and brought seven captured criminals to Prague and beheaded them on this place of execution. Among them was Vilém Bechyně of Lažany, who is said to have sung and skipped along the way.