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Show Simple Old Method of Evading Penalty of Sin Every one unacquainted with old English customs Is Interested by the story of the Sin eater In Mnry Webb's novel, "Precious Rane." Sin-eaters did not constitute a religious re-ligious sect They were employed In some counties of England and In Wales In connection with funeral rites. Their office was to eat bread and drink ale which had been placed on the bier, and thus symbolically sym-bolically take upon themselves the sins committed by the deceased person. Having done this, the sin-eater sin-eater pronounced the "ease and rest" of the dead person and asserted as-serted that to procure this he had pawned his own soul. There were not wanting men to perform this rash office, but It was not so rash as might appear; for the sin-eater could see to it that the same means of acquiring impunity was Invoked for him at his decease, so that no matter what accumulation of sin he had made himself responsible respon-sible for, the whole burden would be lifted by a subsequent sin-eater. The custom seems to have lingered in Wales until the forties of last century. Montreal Family Herald. |