Gervaise Caussois—peace to his ashes—was brought before this august tribunal for stealing some iron tools and to induce him to confess he was tortured and promptly confessed. Thinking he might be guilty of other offenses, he was tortured again and then under the strain of the pain he suffered, he confessed to other petty crimes, when he was again tortured by use of the _tresteau_, when he again confessed to another petty misdemeanor when the judges mercifully caused him to be hanged, without more ado, thus ending his misery.[64] In 1390 poor Fleurant de Saint-Leu, was arraigned before this heartless tribunal for the awful crime of stealing a silver buckle. He denied the crime and was twice tortured, with increasing severity, when he finally confessed, but protested that it was his first offense. The merciful judges, out of the goodness of their hearts, decided this offense, being the first, did not merit death, so on the same day he was tortured thrice, to ascertain if he was not guilty of some other offense for which he could be killed; this failing to bring the desired result, he was again twice tortured, when he admitted that three years before he had unwittingly married a prostitute, when he was afterwards hanged, as this was found to be a sufficient offense, together with the stealing of the buckle, to justify the death penalty.[65] Poor Marguerite de la Penele, accused of stealing a ring, was tortured until she confessed and as she could not satisfy the human hyenas who were trying her, for some money found upon her person, she was again severely tortured and although no further confession was extracted from her she was buried alive.[66] The question _ordinaire_ and _extra-ordinaire_, as put to the wretches brought before this criminal court at Paris, was to be answered by the accused while fastened to the wall, on a trestle or sliding table, with his wrists fastened in two rings; his mouth was forced open with a horn and water was poured down his throat, until he answered the question whether or not he was guilty of the offense charged against him.[67] Another form of torture used in the _Chatelet_ at Paris, was what was called the “boots,” being solid boards, pierced with holes, encasing the legs, up to the knees. Ropes were inserted through the holes and drawn so tight, by means by pegs of wood, driven into the holes, as to almost break the bones and twist the flesh off the legs, if the accused persisted in refusing to confess the crime charged against him.[68] This horrible and barbarous practice was not completely abolished in France, until the year 1788, when the monarchy repealed the law authorizing such cruelty, for the alleged reason that under such stress of punishment men would confess to anything.[69]