| 604 | 605 | 606 | 607 | 608 |
| 1 | 236 | 472 | 708 | 944 |
|
This secretary was of the class called keeper of the bag, as was shown
by a bag at his feet.
These bags, in former times employed in law processes, were termed bags
of justice.
With folded arms, leaning against a pillar, was a man entirely dressed
in leather, the hangman's assistant.
These men seemed as if they had been fixed by enchantment in their
funereal postures round the chained man. None of them spoke or moved.
There brooded over all a fearful calm.
What Gwynplaine saw was a torture chamber. There were many such in
England.
The crypt of Beauchamp Tower long served this purpose, as did also the
cell in the Lollards' prison. A place of this nature is still to be seen
in London, called "the Vaults of Lady Place." In this last-mentioned
chamber there is a grate for the purpose of heating the irons.
All the prisons of King John's time (and Southwark Jail was one) had
their chambers of torture.
The scene which is about to follow was in those days a frequent one in
606
Page
Quick Jump
|