as called
_corsned_. The priest who took the ordeal by _corsned_ received a bit of
bread or a bit of cheese which was loaded heavily, by way of sauce, with
curses upon whomsoever should eat it falsely. This he ate, together with
the bread of the Lord's supper. Everybody knew that if he were guilty,
the sacred mouthful would choke him to death on the spot. History
records no instance of the choking of any priest in this ordeal, but
there is a story that the Saxon Earl Godwin of Kent took the _corsned_
to clear himself of a charge of murder, and (being a layman) was choked.
I fully believe that Earl Godwin is dead, for he was born about the year
1000. But I have not the least idea that _corsned_ killed him.

The priests had the management of ordeals, which, being appeals to God,
were reckoned religious ceremonies. They of course much preferred the
swearing and eating and hot iron and water ordeals, which could be kept
under the regulation of clerical good sense. Not so with the ordeal by
battle. No priests could do anything with the wrath of two great mad
ugly brutes, hot to kill each other, and crazy to risk having their own
throats cut or skulls cleft rather than not have the chance. In
consequence, the whole influence of the Romish church went against the
ordeal by battle, and in favor of the others. Thus the former soon lost
its religious element and became the mere duel; a base indulgence of a
beast's passion for murder and revenge. The progress of enlightenment
gradually pushed ordeals out of court. Mobs have however always tried
the ordeal by water on witches.

Almost all the heathen ordeals have depended on fire, water, or
something to eat or drink. Even in the Bible we find an ordeal
prescribed to the Jews (Numbers, chap v.,) for an unfaithful wife, who
is there directed to drink some water with certain ceremonies, which
drink God promises shall cause a fatal disease if she be guilty, and if
not, not. It is worth noticing that Moses says not a word about any
"water of jealousy," or any other ordeal, for unfaithful husbands!

This drinking or eating ordeal prevails quite extensively even now. In
Hindostan, theft is often enquired into by causing the suspected party
to chew some dry rice or rice flour, which has some very strong curses
stirred into it, _corsned_ fashion. After chewing, the accused spits out
his mouthful, and if it is either dry or bloody, he is guilty. It is
easy to see how a rascal, if as credul