9

the Forest Laws.

These are the Constitutions ofCanutus } concerningthe finest, her? barbsroull? transiared out of the VanilEtongue into Escin,.b5 those that tcok the tame in band.

Vowreit, as I find it, st, A set it down, without an?alteration of mp Cop?, in an? jote o? title*

Sote,chat in the aforesaid Canon the eleventh, thereis mention made of Purgatio ignis: which manner oftrial b? Fire, A think is der? dark to man?, that al-most hade neder heard of it,so? that it is now long since vid.Co.u.A.;rthe fame was in an? great use in this Land of England:and pet it doth Mm b? divers antient writers, that Holenshed, inin times past it was a common usage to tr? men, whe- ^ S Bri ^ c i r n ’^ 0 1 1 onther the? were guilt? of an? vksence o? not, d? the Or- ?8>dalian Laws, as it doth appear b? Holenshed hisChronicle,in th; des.riplion of Lrirain,fo!.98.in (a) sideColumn tije first, in fine ibidem, where it is writtenthus, as it follsweth.

The Ordalian Lais (with the aforesaid author) was Gra f~a certain manner of Purgation used two Waxs: where- 18o«

of the one was v? Fire, the other b? watater : An the ibat Emmaexecution of that which was done b? Fire, the part? tbc m "' her °]accused should goe a certain number of paces with anbot piece of Iron in his hand, 0? else bare fœteb upon was accusedcertain Mough-lhares ted hot according to the man- ofthedtsthoknet. This Iron was sometime of one pound weight, h£C . [°"» forand then was it called Single ordaHum : sometimes of bvth?w, and then was it named Trebse ordalium. And Robert Bistiopwhosoeber did bear o? tread tin the same without hurt of canterburyof bis bod?, he was adjudged guiltlekle; otherwise if his t ? he ” r j* 1 ’ b yEn were scorched, he was forthwith condemned as si,. I 18 "Suutx of the trefpaife whereof he was accused.

blindfold between two men, to paffe over 9. Ploughshares which were glowing red hot :and (as Chronicles doe report) (he did paffe over them barefooted without hurt, before(he thought (he had been come to them.

There were in like fort two kinds of trial b?the

Mater,