It's January 31st, 1606 in London, England.

In a yard in the shadow of the Houses of Parliament, Guy Fawkes shuffles forward toward his death.

A bonfire is burning, giving off thick and putrid smoke.

Thousands of jeering people crowd every available space, eager to watch the gory spectacle

that's to come.

Fox's bound hands tremble, and his legs are so weak he can barely stand, let alone walk.

But the guards behind him jab at him with their pikes every

time he slows down, so he drags himself on.

Cablestones at his feet are slick with blood, a grim reminder of the three executions

that have already taken place today.

All the men were traitors, convicted for their part in the gunpowder plot.

But the authorities have saved the most infamous of the plotters for last.

Nearly three months ago, 35-year-old Guy Fawkes was caught beneath the houses of Parliament

along with dozens of barrels of gunpowder.

His plan was to blow up King James I and the rest of the English government, but his plot failed.

Since then, Fox's faced torture and interrogation, and now he and his co-conspirators must pay

the price for their crimes. The thick smoke clears for a moment, and Fox gets his first look at

the gallows. The masked executioner stands beside a ladder, propped up against the scaffold. To a roar from the

crowd, he grabs Fox and forces a noose down over his head. He tightens a nod at Fox's neck,

and then with a jerk of his head, he orders Fox up the ladder. But this is just the first part

of Fox's execution. He will be hanged until he's barely conscious and castrated

and cut open. His entrails will be burned on a fire in front of him, then finally he'll beheaded

...