NEW! For the Borgia in YOUR church … a poison ring!
SMILE … as your opponents die writhing on the floor while you preach a sermon about peace and unity!
END … those interminable conferences by poisoning your enemies during the communion service!
INVITE … your foes round for dinner: “The drinks are on me!” you will say!
Now that theological persecutions and seizures of property have made a surprise return to modern society, with The Episcopal Church of the USA in first place, but with a strong showing from Glasgow Presbytery — sending in bailiffs to rip the hymnbooks out of the hands of worshippers, even though you have piles of them going unused, was especially noteworthy — perhaps other quaint customs of the past might make a return too?
All of which feeble attempts at humour were provoked by the discovery of a genuine medieval poison ring in Bulgaria. It’s an ornamented ring with a reservoir and a hole on one side, allowing the wearer to poison food or a drink simply by rotating your wrist. Apparently it belongs to the 14th century, so is a bit outside our period. But no doubt earlier models also existed, especially in Byzantium.
I wonder what poisons they used?
You made me start the day with a big smile.
🙂