 | A fact from Corsned appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 12 May 2007. The text of the entry was as follows:
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Questions
editDoes the accused have to swallow this whole? How difficult would it be to have to do this? Has anyone tried performing this act in modern times? howcheng {chat} 20:54, 10 May 2007 (UTC)
- I think a lot of the modern sources have interpreted this differently. I tried to keep their speculation out of the article. A couple sources say that barley was used because it's more difficult to swallow. Multiple other sources say that it was actually really easy to do, and that nobody has died by it, and that the clergy reserved this practice for themselves, so that they wouldn't be in any real danger, and could get out of any crime. I think they had to swallow it whole, although some sources say they chewed it up. Most of this seems to be speculation. One ounce of anything is not much to swallow, especially with some practice. — BRIAN0918 • 2007-05-10 21:22Z
Three years later, another question. The phrase "Gif man freondleasne ..." ... can we get a translation of that into modern English? howcheng {chat} 23:47, 10 June 2010 (UTC)
Dry barley bread was used in the torture/execution of "panis fortis". In the latter ordeal water intake was regulated to alternative days so that the prisoner would be so thirsty he could probably not eat the bread, anyway. I think it probable that in practice, restricted water intake would be part of this ordeal. I have no source for this idea except the analogy of bread use in panis fortis. William Rubel (talk) 19:54, 2 March 2017 (UTC)
A once ounce piece of bread is 1.5 to 2 inches a side (3.8 to 5 cm). Size, though is related to weight, so a dried out piece of bread is much larger than a moist piece. Either way, a person with a dry mouth would find it impossible to chew it. We also are not familiar with the setting, but it is easy to imagine the trial being conducted with some force. Dry barley bread chomped down upon could easily cut the mouth. Imagine have an abscess. The difficulties in swallowing are many. Sheep cheese in May is likely to be specified for a hostile reason -- like ti stinks so heavily that it easily induces a gag reflex -- especially in a hungry, thirsty prisoner. William Rubel (talk) 19:54, 2 March 2017 (UTC)
Use of Middle English
editYou people have got to stop quoting Old English and Middle English without translating it. It's all over Medieval articles. SMDH. --Tysto (talk) 22:10, 11 April 2022 (UTC)