Simple English definitions for legal terms
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A morsel of execration is a type of ordeal used in ancient times to determine the guilt or innocence of an accused person. The accused would be given a piece of bread or cheese that a priest had charged to stick in the throat of the guilty. If the person choked, they were declared guilty, and if they did not, they were declared innocent. This was one of several types of ordeals, which were physical tests believed to reveal the truth in human disputes. Ordeals were commonly used in Europe until the 13th century, but only sporadically after 1215, when the Fourth Lateran Council forbade the clergy from participating in them.
Definition: A primitive form of trial in which an accused person was subjected to a usually dangerous or painful physical test, the result being considered a divine revelation of the person's guilt or innocence. The morsel of execration was a type of ordeal in which the person who was to make the proof was given a one-ounce piece of bread or cheese that a priest had solemnly charged to stick in the throat of the guilty. A person who choked was declared guilty; a person who did not was declared innocent.
Example: In medieval times, the morsel of execration was used as a form of trial to determine the guilt or innocence of an accused person. The accused would be given a piece of bread or cheese and if they choked on it, they were considered guilty. This was believed to be a divine revelation of their guilt or innocence.
Explanation: The morsel of execration was a superstitious and cruel way of determining guilt or innocence. It relied on the belief that God would intervene and reveal the truth through the physical reaction of the accused person. However, it was not a reliable method and often led to innocent people being punished. The example illustrates how this form of trial worked and how it was used in medieval times.