SR
Chapter 85ChrP.5.85

De quodam miraculo.

The Boiling Water Ordeal

In 1321, three men accused of poisoning were subjected to an ordeal by boiling water; two drowned, but the innocent third emerged unharmed.

In the year of our Lord 1321, in the regions of Sclavia, three men accused of poisoning were thrown into boiling water; two of them drowned immediately, but the third came out unharmed because of his innocence.12

Read the original Latin

Anno domini mcccxxi in partibus Sclavie tres viri accusati de propinacione veneni, missi fuerunt in ferventem aquam, quorum duo statim suffocati sunt, tercius propter innocenciam illesus exivit.

Notes

  1. 1The ordeal by boiling water functions as a judicial miracle-narrative: the third man's survival is presented as divine testimony to his innocence, not merely as an acquittal.
  2. 2propinacione (rare/medieval noun) rendered as 'poisoning' based on context of veneni; the gloss is candidate-level and could also carry the sense of 'administering poison.'

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