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Court of Historical Law: Ethelred the Unready
The setup
The premise
Here’s the bit.
The Court of Historical Law invites Ethelred the Unready to prosecute a horse-theft case using Anglo-Saxon methods. Ted asks about evidence, but the king offers tests involving a river and a red-hot iron instead. Eating a piece of cake sounds like the safe option, until Ted learns that choking will count as proof of guilt. His confidence in the easy choice soon collapses, and the ordeal ends with a rather belated confession.
The funny people
Meet the cast. 3
Say it with us
Highly quotable.
Sorry, sorry. Wasn't ready.
Fair enough, I did nick that horse.
A little extra
Notes from the archive.
Rattus Rattus appears after the trial to explain the historical basis of ordeal by cake.
The rabbit hole continues
One more couldn’t hurt.
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