The ordeal was another established method of trial among Saxons. It was practised either by boiling water or red-hot iron. The former was appropriated to the common people; the latter to the nobility. The water or iron was consecrated by many prayers, masses, fastings, and exorcisms,[*] after which, the person accused either took up a stone sunk in the water[**] to a certain depth, or carried the iron to a certain distance; and his hand being wrapped up, and the covering sealed for three days, if there appeared, on examining it, no marks of burning, he was pronounced innocent; if otherwise, guilty.[***] The trial by cold water was different: the person was thrown into consecrated water; if he swam, he was guilty, if he sunk, innocent.[****] It is difficult for us to conceive how any innocent person could ever escape by the one trial, or any criminal be convicted by the other. But there was another usage admirably calculated for allowing every criminal to escape, who had confidence enough to try it. A consecrated cake, called a corsned, was produced, which if the person could swallow and digest, he was pronounced innocent.[******] The feudal law, if it had place at all among the Anglo-Saxons, which is doubtful, was not certainly extended over all the landed property, and was not attended with those consequences of homage, reliefs,[*******] wardship, marriage, and other burdens, which were inseparable from it in the kingdoms of the continent. As the Saxons expelled, or almost entirely destroyed, the ancient Britons, they planted themselves in this island on the same footing with their ancestors in Germany, and found no occasion for the feudal institutions,[********] which were calculated to maintain a kind of standing army, always in readiness to suppress any insurrection among the conquered people. [* Du Cange, in verbo Crux.] [** Spel in verbo Ordealium. Parker, p. 155. Lindenbrog. p, 1299] [*** LL. Inæ, sect. 77.] [**** Sometimes the person accused walked barefoot over a red hot iron] [***** Spel in verbo Ordealium.] [****** Spel in verbo Corsned. Parker, p. 156. Text. Roffens. p. 33.] [******* On the death of an alderman, a greater or lesser thane, there was a payment made to the king of his best arms; and this was called his heriot; but this was not of the nature of a relief. See Spel. of Tenures, p. 2. The value of this heriot was fixed by Canute’s laws, sect. 69.] [******** Bracton de Acqu. Rer. Domin. ii. cap. 16. See more fully Spel of Feus and Tenures, and Q aigius de Jure Feud, lib. i. dieg.]