ORDEAL, from the Anglo-Saxon orehrt Spelman derives this word from or, ' magnum," and dad, " judieium," which is also the derivation given by Ducange. Lye and Bosworth derive it from or, privative,'' without," and d tl," difference," an Indifferent or impartial judgment, a judgment without distinction of persona. The German word artAeil, a judgment, is apparently the same word, and is also a compound.
The earliest traces of any custom resembling the ordeal is found in the book of Numbers (ch. v.), in the waters of jealousy, which the Hebrew women suspected of adultery were compelled to drink as a test of their innocence.
Blackstone, tweaking of the several methods of trial and conviction of offenders, says, " The most ancient species of trial was that by ordeal, which was peculiarly distinguished by the appellation of judirium dei, and sometimes rulgoris purgatio, to distinguish it from the canonical purgation, which was by the oath of the party. This was of two sorts, either fire-ordeal or water-ordeal ; the former being confined to persons of higher rauk, the latter to the common people. Beth these might be performed by deputy ; but the principal was to answer for the success of the trial, the deputy only venturing some corporal pain for hire, or perhaps for friendship. Fire-ordeal was per formed either by taking up in the hands unhurt a piece of red-hot iron of one, two, or three pounds weight or else by walking barefoot and blindfold over nine red-hot ploughshares, laid lengthwise at un equal distances ; and if the party escaped being hurt. he was adjudged innocent ; but if it happened otherwise, as without collusion it usually did, he was then condemned as guilty. However, by this latter method Queen Emma, the mother of Edward the Confessor, is mentioned to have cleared her character when suspected of familiarity with Alwyn, bishop of Winchester. Water-ordeal was performed either by plunging the bare arm up to the elbow in boiling water, and escaping unhurt thereby, or by mating the person suspected into a river or pond of cold water, and if he floated therein without any action of swimming it was deemed an evidence of his guilt, but if he sunk he was acquitted."
Another species of ordeal was the corsned, or morsel of execration : this was a piece of cheese or bread, about an ounce in weight, which was consecrated with a peculiar form, and it was prayed that the bread might cause convulsions and paleness, and find no passage, if the man was really guilty, but might turn to health and nourishment if he was Innocent. The corsned was then given to the suspected 1 erson, who received the holy sacrament at the same time,—if, Indeed, as some have suspected, the conned was not the sacramental bread itself.
The Ordeals of water and iron are first mentioned in the 77th law of Ina ; and afterwards in those of Athclstan, Edward the Confessor, and the Conqueror.
In 'Domesday' the readiness of claimants to prove their title to land, by ordeal or by battle, occurs in a great variety of instances : as among the lands belonging to the monastery of Ely, at a place then called Photestorp. in Norfolk : " I lane terrain calumpniatur case liberam VIchetel home Ilerrncri quocunque inodo judieetur, vol hello vel Juditio." (See torn. ii., fol. 213, and other instances, fol. 11U b, 137, 162, 166, 172 b, 193, 208, 277 b, 332.) Ferri candentis Judicium (the ordeal of hot iron) is the only ordeal of the Domesday Survey.' The reason for this in given by Glanville (1. xiv., ch. 1): "in such a we the accused Is bound to clear himself by the judgment of God, namely, by hot iron, or by water, according to the difference of rank, that is, by hot iron if he should be a free man, and by water if he should be a villein (si fuerit ruaticus)." Eadmer (' Hist. Noeor.; p. 48) speaks of no fewer than fifty persona of Saxon origin who; in the reign of William Rufus, being accused of killing the king's stags, were at ono time sentenced to the fire anima.