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Ylac’ zfiztzquztzea" of IR E L A N D, j‘5-”.5’-
Gilbert or Gille, Bilbo of Lima‘ , ‘ ' A -
his Book, :1: Smlu Ettlgfiti)‘, among tzhftliilhlg]: Pt<sih]li:iIi1ci1h:]BtihGio;:ftci:ir:dIlgig:
fecrate, enumerates the judicial Iran; from whence it appears probable that
the Irijh antiently practifed this-Kind of Trial. Szzxii Grammalicur in the Life
of Niclzclas, the 8il‘t King of the Dames, gives an Account of oni: Harald an
Irijlmzan by Defcent, who endured the Judgment of the Ho! Iran’, by walliing
vliarefooted over red hov:"Bars,"With‘out’being fcorched‘. But‘ thefe lalf men-
tioned Trials, i.‘ e. Combat and Ordeal, are prohibited by Canons, and fhar I
reproved by Divines. The Trial by Ordeal is indeed long fince extinpftlg
[having been abolilhed by Parliament (f) in the Reign of Henry IIId ] and
the Trial by Combat has gone into difufe. ,
The lalt lgLQuQgm to be taken Notice of, (and which I had almoft for-'
got to mention,) was that which was antiently fometimes ufed by Litin-11:5,:
of Swearing before their Brrlzmr, or Judges, by the Head, Hand, Lzf: or
Hmlzl: of their Prince or Lord ; which Cultom, without Quellion, favours of
a Heathenifh Original, and, as it feems, hrft came from the Egyptianx. Of
this we have a Hint inthe Oath, which 7ofrpb, (after the Cuftom of the
Egyptiam) fwore, Byline Life of Plmmola (g). Die (22) relates, that the like Cuf4
tom of Swearing, By Ilse Life and Fortune of Caffar, prevailed among the an-
tient Romzzzzr. It is certain alfo, that it afterwards grew into a Cullomi amon '
the Chriltians, both of the Eaft and Well, to Swear by the Health or Life 0%
the Emperour, or the King and his Sons. . This. Cuftom indeed continued
longer
(15) Lib. 45.‘ 57.‘
( f) Rot. Pat. 3'. Hen. 5, Membr. 5; (3) Gen. Chap. 42'.
“ and by the Twelve Aportles; and by the Twelve Prophets,‘ and by all the Saints of God, and
“ by the Principalities and Powers, and Dominations. and Virtues, and by the Thrones, Che-
“ rubin and Seraphin, and by the three yonng Men, Sidracb, Mxfazb, and Azinlzmiga, and
" the 144,000, who fuffered for the Name of Chrilt, and by that Baptifm by which the Prieit
“ regenerated you, that if you know of the Theft charged on you, or law it committed, or
“ carried it, or received it into your Houfe, or were confenting to ‘it,’ or if you have a liardned.
“ Heart, let your Heart be confumed within you, and ti): lI’a!zr not rzcei-w’ yen, not let any
“ VVitchcraft prevail againil; this, but let the truth be manifefled. Wherefore we earneflly befecch
“ you, O Lord Jefus Chrill, to give us fuch a Sign, that if this Man be guilty, ,he may be in
“ no wife urei'rum’ 5y fl): Water. Grant this, 0 Lord ]efus,Chritt, to your l'ra.ife and Glory, by
‘f the Invocation of your Name, that all may l:now,'that-you are our Lord, who with the Fa-V
“ ther, and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns God to endlefs Ages, Amen. '
. The Prayer ufed over the Holy Water. r .
“ We moll humbly befeech you, 0 Lord jefus Chrill, to vouchfafe, immediately to give us
“ fuch a Sign, that if this Perfon be any way guilty of what is objected to him, that ply; Water may
" ml rmirvz 171771. And this do, 0 Lord, to your Praife and Glory. at the Invocation of your
“ Name, that all may know that you are the true God, and that there is no other God but
“ you, who lives and reigns with God the Father, in the Unity of the Spirit, for infinite Ages;
" Amen: .
“ The Omnipotent God created this Judgment, and it is true; and was found out by Po c
“ Eugmr, that all Bifhops, Abbots, Earls, and Chrillians through the whole World may llu
“ to obferve it; becaufe it is approved by many, and found to be true. And for this Caufe it
“ was found out and Inllituted, that it fhould be lawful for no Body to put his Hand on the
" Altar, nor to fwear on the Reliques or Bodies of the Saints: ,
Jllubillryfs Annotations on the foregoing Forms. .
" Many have written much on the various Kinds of Probaiiark. I therefore fet down in this
“ Place the Prahzrian qf Cald Water, becaufe it is mentioned to be inllituted by‘Pope Eugen:
“ in :1 very antic-nt Manufcript written on Vellum, in the 9th Century, remaining in the Church
“ of St. Rmr'gz'u:, at Rbeim, from whencel have tranfcribed what goes before With it agrees
“ an antient Colleflion of Canonspreferved in the Monaltery of St.‘ Illa:-iarz, at zfuxtrre; in which
“' the form of jualgmmt by Cald Wattr is related with this Note.- Our Lord the Pope fent this
“ Judgment and Examination into Frmirr, that the Sacred Altars of the Saints might not be vio-
‘f lated, but that the Truth might be made manifeft by this Adjuration and Judgment of Cola’
“ tram, To which is added the Adjuration Word for Word, as before.- Yet Le'u'i.r Auguhu,-,
“ (as appears in the Lapitulary of Aguifgrane of the Year 1328, Sect. 7. ‘Chap: t2.)'decreed,
“ that the Examination by Cald ll’argr, which hitherto was ufed, fhould be interditled from our
" Maffes, and be no more obferved. Which Decree Lzrwii made after the Confhtution ofPope
“ Etlgtm, ‘viz. the next Year after the Death of that Pope. Yet this Rite or Ceremony of Far-
“ gamut was not abfolutely abolilhed by the Decree. of L!‘IL‘iJ. F0x'.HI:n(mar, Archbilhop of
“. It’l':im;, being qucflioned upon it, by Iiiidzgar, Bifhop of Mmux, yuftihcd the judgment of
" Cali lI'aI:r, by many Arguments." -3- Thus far -lllalzillm