人類歷史上最殘酷的刑罰：英語精讀講義

French philosopher Michel Foucault starts his book

法國哲學家米歇爾·傅柯在他的著作

Discipline and Punish The Birth of the Prison

《規訓與懲罰：監獄的誕生》的開篇，

with a chapter about an unfortunate Frenchman

講述了一個倒楣法國人的故事，

named Robert Francois Damiens.

他的名字叫羅伯特·弗朗索瓦·達米安。

Damiens had tried and failed to assassinate King Louis XV 片語搭配

達米安曾試圖刺殺國王路易十五，但以失敗告終，

and for it he was severely punished.

為此他受到了嚴厲的懲罰。

He was burned with molten wax and lead

他被燒融的蠟和鉛灼燒，

and had boiling oil poured into his open wounds. 文法

滾燙的油被倒入他敞開的傷口中。

He was then quartered by horses pulling at his limbs

隨後，他被馬匹拉扯四肢進行車裂，

and then his torso was burned at the stake.

最後他的軀幹被綁在火刑柱上焚毀。

Some of the crowd cheered

人群中有些人歡呼雀躍，

but one commentator wrote

但一位評論員寫道：

I was several times obliged to turn away my face 用詞

「我有好幾次不得不轉過臉去，

and to stop my ears as I heard his piercing shrieks.

摀住耳朵，因為我聽到了他那刺耳的慘叫聲。

Half of his body having been torn from him.

他的一半身體已經被硬生生撕裂了。」

Things slowly changed regarding the harshness of punishments

隨著時間的推移，懲罰的殘酷程度漸漸發生了改變，

but today we'll look back at the brutal past. 片語動詞

但今天，我們將回顧那段殘暴的歷史。

In this episode of The Infographics Show,

在本期《資訊圖表秀》節目中，

The Worst Punishments in the History of Mankind.

我們要講的是：人類歷史上最糟糕的懲罰。

We should explain that this list

我們需要說明的是，這個清單

is in no particular order of nastiness 片語搭配

並沒有按照殘忍程度進行特定排序，

because you'll see that all these punishments meted out 片語動詞

因為你會發現，這裡所有施加的懲罰

are barbaric to the nth degree. 慣用語

都已經野蠻到了極點。

It would be hard to say which is the worst 文法

很難說哪一種是最糟糕的，

as they are all incredibly horrific.

因為它們都令人毛骨悚然。

We'll let you decide which punishment

我們將讓你來決定，哪種懲罰

you think is the most heinous.

在你看來是最令人髮指的。

We will also add that some of you might believe

我們還要補充一點，你們中有些人可能會認為，

that prolonged agony

漫長的折磨，

such as solitary confinement for 20 years 文化背景

比如被單獨監禁20年，

might actually be worse than excruciating pain

實際上可能比死前持續幾秒或幾分鐘的

that lasts a few seconds or minutes before death.

劇痛還要糟糕。

But we'll focus more on barbaric acts today.

但今天我們將更多地關注這些野蠻的行徑。

The Rack.

拷問台。

We'll start with one punishment

我們將從一種懲罰開始講起，

you have all probably heard of.

你們可能都聽說過它。

The Rack was a fairly simple device

拷問台是一種相當簡單的裝置，

consisting of a rectangular frame and a series of levers, 文法

由一個矩形框架和一系列槓桿、

pulleys, and ropes.

滑輪和繩索組成。

There are different versions of the Rack

拷問台有不同的版本，

dating from antiquity to Middle Ages Europe. 片語動詞

其歷史可以追溯到古典時代至中世紀的歐洲。

The idea was to stretch the prisoner by the joints 文法

其理念是拉伸囚犯的關節，

until the muscles were torn and the joints popped.

直到肌肉撕裂，關節脫臼。

Eventually all the joints would be dislocated.

最終，所有的關節都會脫位。

Hanged, drawn, and quartered. 文化背景

絞刑、剖腹和分屍（英式車裂）。

This is close to what happened to Damiens

這與達米安的遭遇很相似，

but was better known as a very gruesome form of execution

但它作為一種非常可怕的處決方式更為人所知，

in Middle Ages England

在中世紀的英格蘭，

when someone had committed high treason, 文化背景

當有人犯下嚴重叛國罪，

aka treason against the state. 用詞

也就是背叛國家的罪行時，就會受到這種懲罰。

The prisoner would be hanged until almost dead,

囚犯會被吊起直到奄奄一息，

then he would be taken down

然後他會被放下來，

and disemboweled while still alive

並在活著的時候被開膛破肚，

and also have his manhood cut from his body.

他的命根子也會被切下來。

He would then be chopped into pieces

接著，他會被砍成碎塊，

and often his head was chopped off

通常他的頭也會被砍下來，

and hung someplace where the public could see it.

掛在公眾可以看到的地方。

The punishment was abolished in England in 1870.

這種懲罰於1870年在英格蘭被廢除。

Judas Chair, also known as Danny's Chair

猶大椅，也叫丹尼椅

or Judas Cradle,

或者猶大搖籃。

it's not known exactly when this was used 文法

人們並不確切知道這是何時開始使用的，

but there are sketches of it in existence 片語搭配

但有它的草圖流傳下來，

and it also is on display in some museums.

它也在一些博物館中展出。

This gruesome device was a chair

這個可怕的裝置是一把椅子，

with a sharp pointed pyramid shape

椅面上有一個

on the seat of the chair.

尖銳的金字塔形狀。

Websites writing about medieval history tell us

記錄中世紀歷史的網站告訴我們，

people would be sat atop this spike

人們會被安排坐在這個尖刺上，

and lowered by ropes which was extremely painful

然後透過繩索慢慢降下，這極其痛苦，

as it entered the orifice.

因為尖刺會刺入下體孔洞。

But sometimes they would be dragged down on it

但有時他們會被重物

with the use of weights

猛拉著坐倒在上面，

while application of oil would make things worse.

同時塗抹油脂會讓情況變得更糟。

They would die slowly as they were further lowered

隨著他們被進一步降下，他們會慢慢死去，

or perhaps die even more slowly from infection.

或者可能由於感染死得更慢。

This could take hours or days

根據我們找到的兩份資料，

according to two sources we found.

這可能會持續幾個小時或幾天。

Some sources say it was used during the Spanish Inquisition 表達脈絡

有些資料說它是在西班牙宗教裁判所期間使用的，

but other sources refute that.

但其他資料反駁了這一說法。

Boiling.

烹刑。

Again we turn to England and this time to the 1500s.

我們再次將目光轉向英格蘭，這次是16世紀。

It's said the often irascible King Henry VIII

據說經常暴怒的國王亨利八世

made this a form of capital punishment 用詞

將其定為一種死刑方式，

but it seems to also have been popular at some point in time

但在某個時期，它似乎也在

all around Europe and Asia.

歐洲和亞洲各地流行過。

As you can guess,

正如你能猜到的那樣，

the torture and usually the eventual death

這種折磨以及通常導致的最終死亡，

was a result of someone being boiled alive 講解

是因為一個人被活活煮死而造成的，

in a large cauldron or kettle full of water,

容器通常是一個裝滿水、

oil, or tar.

油或焦油的大鍋或大水壺。

The Catherine Wheel, also known as the Breaking Wheel,

凱瑟琳輪，也叫碎骨輪，

it's thought this simple method of bodily destruction

人們認為這種簡單的摧殘身體的方法

was used mainly in the 18th and 19th centuries

主要在18和19世紀被使用，

in Europe and parts of Asia.

分佈在歐洲和亞洲部分地區。

The French writer Voltaire writes about the punishment

法國作家伏爾泰在18世紀出版的一本書中

in a book published in the 18th century.

提到了這種懲罰。

Prisoners were tied and splayed on a large wooden wheel.

囚犯會被綁在一個巨大的木輪上，四肢張開。

The executioner would then take a heavy object,

劊子手隨後會拿一個重物，

sometimes an iron cudgel,

有時是鐵棍，

and break the person on the wheel

在輪子上打斷受刑者的骨頭，

until the body was completely almost in pieces.

直到身體幾乎完全碎裂。

Sometimes, however,

然而有時，

it would take a few days for the victims to die from their injuries. 文法

受害者需要幾天時間才會因傷死去。

The Head Crusher.

碎頭機。

This should be self-explanatory.

這個名字應該就不言而喻了。

Imagine a metal dish strapped to your skull

想像一下，一個金屬盤壓在你的頭骨上，

and a metal plate under your chin.

下巴下面有一塊金屬板。

You can't move as it is all secured.

你動彈不得，因為一切都被固定住了。

The dish can be lowered using a large screw that can be turned.

可以透過轉動一個大螺絲來降下金屬盤。

As it lowers,

隨著它下降，

it breaks the bones in your head and eventually crushes the skull.

它會壓碎你頭部的骨頭，最終壓碎頭骨。

We can't find too many reliable sources 表達脈絡

我們找不到太多可靠的資料

telling us when this was used

來告訴我們這是何時使用的，

but again it's thought it was a contraption of the Middle Ages.

但人們再次認為它是中世紀的一個裝置。

History.com tells us it was a real thing

History.com告訴我們這確實存在，

and that it appears in a book called The Big Book of Pain, Torture,

並且它出現在一本名為《貫穿歷史的痛苦、折磨

and Punishment Through History.

與懲罰大全》的書裡。

Flaying.

剝皮。

If you've seen Game of Thrones, 文法

如果你看過《權力遊戲》，

you'll be familiar with this punishment. 片語搭配

你會對這種懲罰很熟悉。

The torture comprises of cutting off all of a person's skin, 文法

這種酷刑包括割下一個人所有的皮膚，

although it's said in China sometimes it was just the facial skin.

儘管據說在中國，有時只割面部皮膚。

Sometimes the person may have been burned first

有時這個人可能會先被燒傷，

to make the cutting easier

以便更容易地剝皮，

or just perhaps to add more nastiness.

或者只是為了增加殘忍度。

It was around as late as the 18th century 片語搭配

直到18世紀它還在被使用，

and Michel Foucault discusses it in gory detail 片語搭配

米歇爾·傅柯詳細探討了這血腥的過程，

in the book we mentioned, Discipline and Punish.

就在我們提到的《規訓與懲罰》一書裡。

It's said the English did it to thieves in the 13th century

據說英國人在13世紀對小偷使用過它，

but such punishment happened all over the world throughout the ages.

但這種懲罰在各個時代都在世界各地發生過。

It's said that the Chinese emperor Hongwu

據說中國皇帝洪武

ordered the flaying of 5,000 women in 1357,

在1357年下令將5000名婦女剝皮，

although a book called Skin and Bones puts the date at 1396. 片語搭配

儘管一本名為《皮與骨》的書將日期記為1396年。

Death by a Thousand Cuts.

千刀萬剮（凌遲）。

Sticking with China and a similar period comes this brutal torture. 表達脈絡

繼續說中國和類似時期出現的這種殘酷折磨。

Also known as lingchi,

也被稱為凌遲，

a book called Death by a Thousand Cuts

一本名為《千刀萬剮》的書

says it was a common form of punishment in China

說它是中國的一種常見懲罰方式，

in the 14th century

在14世紀，

but was around in the country for many centuries. 用詞

但在這個國家已經存在了好幾個世紀。

The prisoner's entire body would be sliced

囚犯的全身會被切片，

but it would take a long time to die

但他要花很長時間才會死去，

as you would expect from small slices

正如你能從小塊切片中預料到的那樣，

but nothing was spared from the knife 慣用語

沒有什麼能逃過這把刀，

and eventually this would kill the unfortunate victim.

最終這會殺死那個不幸的受害者。

However, while this form of punishment became infamous outside of China,

然而，雖然這種懲罰方式在中國以外變得臭名昭著，

some historians tell us that it wasn't as prolonged 文法

一些歷史學家告訴我們，它的持續時間並不像

as some people originally said

最初一些人所說的那樣長，

and that some of those cuts actually meant dismemberment

其中一些切割實際上意味著肢解，

making death arrive faster. 文法

讓死亡來得更快。

Sawing.

鋸刑。

Looking at sketches of this from the 15th century,

看看15世紀關於這個的草圖，

it is in some ways the most barbaric as it's so basic.

在某種程度上，它是最野蠻的，因為它太原始了。

A person is hanged upside down from some gallows

一個人被倒吊在絞刑架上，

with their legs forming a V shape. 文法

他們的腿呈V字形。

Two men would then take a large saw

兩個男人會拿著一把大鋸子，

and cut the man in half from his groin area.

把這個人從腹股溝區域鋸成兩半。

He would apparently live through much of this. 片語動詞

顯然，他會在這一過程中經歷大部分清醒的痛苦。

According to one source we can find,

根據我們能找到的一份資料，

this was only infrequently used in medieval Europe

這在中世紀的歐洲並不常使用，

and in China

而在中國，

where sawing horizontally through the middle

從中間橫向鋸開

was an alternative.

是另一種選擇。

Looking around the web,

在網上隨便看看，

sawing took all kinds of forms all over the world during many centuries. 片語搭配

在許多世紀裡，鋸刑在世界各地以各種形式出現。

In any case, people were sawed apart 表達脈絡

無論如何，人們被鋸開，

but the method may have taken many forms.

但方法可能有很多種。

Rats.

老鼠。

You might be thinking right now,

你現在可能會想，

what on earth was wrong with people in the past 語氣意圖

過去制定甚至縱容這種行為的人

that enacted or even endorsed such behavior?

到底出了什麼毛病？

Because humans understand pain so well,

因為人類如此了解痛苦，

were we not blessed with a built-in morality? 語氣意圖

難道我們沒有天賦的內在道德嗎？

If you haven't already thought that,

如果你還沒有這樣想過，

perhaps you will in a second

也許你很快就會這麼想了，

as death by rats really takes the biscuit. 慣用語

因為老鼠吃人真的登峰造極。

It was apparently used in medieval Europe and China.

顯然它被用於中世紀的歐洲和中國。

Some sources tell us that starved rats

一些資料告訴我們，飢餓的老鼠

are poured into a box with a naked prisoner

被倒進一個裝有裸體囚犯的盒子裡，

and they slowly eat the person.

然後它們慢慢地吃掉這個人。

Other sources say the belly of the person

其他資料說，這個人的肚子

is first partially opened so the rats can get at the insides. 片語動詞

會首先被部分剖開，以便老鼠能鑽進內部。

It's written about in a 1931 book called Merrily I Go to Hell,

一本1931年出版、名為《快樂下地獄：

Reminiscences of a Bishop's Daughter.

一位主教女兒的回憶錄》的書裡寫到了這一點。

Another book called The Dictionary of Torture

另一本名為《酷刑辭典》的書

tells us that this happened in Germany.

告訴我們這發生在德國。

Yet another book tells us that in China

還有一本書告訴我們，在中國

the rat would be trapped on a victim's stomach under a metal pot.

老鼠會被困在受害者的胃部，用金屬鍋蓋住。

This pot would be heated until the rat had no other choice 片語搭配

這個鍋會被加熱，直到老鼠別無選擇，

than to try and gnaw its way through the person's body. 文法

只能試圖咬穿這個人的身體來逃生。

We can't say what the outcome of this would be

我們無法斷言這會導致什麼結果，

and perhaps it's not so plausible

也許這不太合理，

that a rat could eat its way through a body.

即一隻老鼠能完全咬穿一具身體。

Some of the sources that say that was the case

一些聲稱情況確實如此的資料

don't offer evidence of it happening that way. 片語搭配

並沒有提供證據證明它是那樣發生的。

Okay.

好的。

So, there's a short history of some human barbarity.

以上就是一些人類野蠻行為的簡短歷史。

Let's be glad we have evolved somewhat since those times. 文法

讓我們感到慶幸的是，自那些時代以來，我們已經進化了一些。

Can you think of a heinous punishment that we didn't mention here?

你能想到我們這裡沒有提到的某種令人髮指的懲罰嗎？

Let us know in the comments.

請在評論區告訴我們。

Also, be sure to check out our other video

此外，一定要去看看我們的另一個影片，

called Worst Prison Experiments Conducted on Humans.

名為《在人類身上進行的最糟糕的監獄實驗》。

Thanks for watching and as always,

感謝觀看，像往常一樣，

don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.

別忘了按讚、分享和訂閱。

See you next time.

下次見。