In England, Back in the day, so to speak, wasn’t there a verse you could quote from the bible if you were on trial for your life, that would allow you to cheat the noose? What happened to this dodge?
In particular, it seems to have involved Psalm 51, the Miserere.
*Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.
O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise.
For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion: build thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon thine altar.*
The Lord’s prayer. IIRC, it only prevented you from being executed for certain crimes, such as witchcraft.
During the Salem trials, George Burroughs flawlessly recited the prayer, causing a great stir in the crowd, but they hung him anyway.
Also, they used to literally read The Riot Act, and in one famous case some defendants got off because it wasn’t read exactly word for word.
Pictures are hung. People are hanged. Unless, of course, George Burroughs was well hung but he was still hanged.
Makes you wonder what they hung his ass with.
It was put to music.
Huh, doesn’t sound the same with no basses or tenors, and missing one verse out of three, and taking it all down a tone. I’ve heard this choir do a nice take on Stanford’s Blue Bird, but you can find better Misereres on YouTube without even trying. Here is one with some acoustics to give it wings.
Two anecdotes: Allegri didn’t write the high Cs in the original - extra twiddly bits were added by showoff castrati, and became obligatory. And the Vatican forbade the export of the sheet music for this piece, until a teenage Mozart happened by and carried away the music in his head. The Pope invited him back for a little talk, which likely caused young Amadeus a few qualms, but the Holy Father recognised genius when he saw it and sent him away with praise and not a bollocking.