Saturday [the day after Good Friday] I went to the duomo: altar and throne were hung with black, which were presently transformed into cloth of gold. The Archbishop enters with jewelled mitre and crosier. Gloria in excelsis is sung. The organ, till then silent, strikes up. The pigeon sets fire to the car. All the bells in Florence, which had their clappers tied up for two days lest the devil should get among them and disturb the holy pause [Holy Week observances] rang out at once. The public clocks were again allowed to strike; the soldiers whose arms had been all that time reversed, shouldered them.