In practice, though, even the Pilgrims did not typically enforce death for sex. In fact, only one person was put to death for a sex crime in the colony, poor Thomas Graunger, a teenage farm boy who, perhaps flush with the surge of hormones, turned to those he knew best. His story could make you look at the Thanksgiving turkey in a whole new way.
Governor William Bradford recounted the tale:
“He was this year detected of buggery, and indicted for the same, with a mare, a cow, two goats, five sheep, two calves and a turkey … He was first discovered by one that accidentally saw his lewd practice towards the mare. (I forbear particulars.) Being upon it examined and committed, in the end he not only confessed the fact with that beast at that time, but sundry times before and at several times with all the rest of the forenamed in his indictment.”
As punishment, he was forced to watch all the animals killed. At first, the court had a problem figuring out which sheep Thomas favored — sheep looking pretty much alike — but Thomas helpfully pointed out his sex partners. After being killed, they were buried in a pit, and then Thomas himself was hanged. If you wonder what the animals did to deserve it, Leviticus was cited by the court: “If a man lie with a beast, he shall surely be put to death; and ye shall slay the beast.”
Þetta er svakaleg upptalning. Mig vantaði bara ,,..and a partridge on a pear-tree" þarna í lokin. Var markmiðið komast yfir hvert einasta húsdýr á heimilinu, eða var hann að leta að hinu eina rétta? Og hann þurfti að gera svo vel og horfa uppá slátrunina. Áður en hann var drepinn sjálfur. Hvílíkt og annað eins.
Ég ímynda mér ennfremur að búfénaður hafi ekki beinlínis vaxið á trjánum þarna fyrir vestan þá, frekar en núna. Kálfakjöt og heilsteiktur kalkúnn, slatti af ull í peysur og vettlinga.. Það hefur verið súper þakkargjörð það árið.
-b.
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