“The Red Goblin is a spirit who haunts the Bargello, or was there of old in the prisons, nelle carceri, and he always foretold to every prisoner what his sentence would be before it was pronounced.
“He always appeared in the cell of the condemned, and first lighting a candle, showed himself all clad in red, and said to the prisoner:
“‘Piangi, piangi, ma piangi forte,
E prepararti che e giunta
L’ora della tua morte.’“‘Weep, oh weep full many a tear;
Make ready; thy hour for death is near.’
“Then if the prisoner replied boldly:
“‘Anima chi siei!
Ti pregò di volermi aiutare
A liberarmi dalla morte!’“‘Spirit, whoe’er thou be,
I beg thee now for aid;
From death pray set me free!’
Then the goblin would burst into a laugh and say:
“‘Non piangere, ridi, ridi!
Ma ride sempre, e spera
Che io ti aiutera!’
“But if the prisoner had replied badly, or cursed, or said ‘Vai al diavolo!’ or ‘Che il diavolo ti porti!’—then there were heard dreadful sounds, such as frightened all the prisoners and assistants, and the goblin vanished crying:
“‘Woe, woe, and woe to thee!
For thou soon shalt punished be;
Away be led, to lose your head,
There is no hope for thee!’
“And after that the man might well despair. Yet the Red Goblin was a jolly sprite when not crossed, and made great sport for the prisoners, who all knew him. He went into every cell, and would tell wild tales, and relate to every one all that he, the prisoner, had done since he was a boy, and how he came to be locked up, and what would be the end of it, and told all this with such peals of laughter that the most unhappy were fain to laugh with him.