苦刑梨——人類歷史上最殘酷的懲罰：英語精讀講義

The year is 1626

時間是1626年。

and a husband and wife were sleeping peacefully in their warm bed,

一對夫妻正安穩地睡在溫暖的床上，

oblivious to the fact that an exceptionally cruel and completely unhinged thief 片語搭配

絲毫沒有察覺，一個格外殘忍且徹底失控的竊賊

was about to change their lives forever.

即將永遠改變他們的人生。

The sleeping couple who'd enjoyed comfort and wealth all their lives

這對熟睡的夫妻一輩子都過著舒適富足的生活，

were in for a terrible shock. 慣用語

卻馬上要遭受一場可怕的驚嚇。

They were about to be confronted by a man who was not only going to take all their valuables, 文法

他們即將面對一個不僅要搶走所有貴重物品的男人，

but was going to introduce them to one of the most evil devices known to man.

他還要讓他們見識人類所知最邪惡的裝置之一。

It's known as the Choke Pear,

它被稱為「窒息梨」，

but we think its alternate name is more fitting

但我們認為它的另一個名字更貼切，

given the pain it inflicted on its victims. 用詞

因為這個名字更能體現受害者承受的痛苦。

And that name is the Pear of Anguish.

那個名字就是「苦痛梨」。

And today,

而今天，

dear viewers,

親愛的觀眾朋友們，

you're going to see just how horrifying this small contraption 文法

你們將看到這個小裝置究竟有多麼恐怖，

must have been to those that wore it. 文法

對被套上它的人來說，那一定如同惡夢。

Let's get back to the sleeping couple. 表達脈絡

讓我們回到那對熟睡的夫妻。

They were awakened by the thief

竊賊把他們叫醒了。

whose intention was not to silently rob the pair

他並不打算悄無聲息地偷走兩人的財物，

and make off into the night, 片語動詞

再趁著夜色逃之夭夭，

but to wake them and demand to know 片語搭配

而是要叫醒他們，逼問

where they were hiding their most valuable belongings.

他們把最值錢的東西藏在了哪裡。

To do this,

要做到這一點，

he needed to get them to talk, 文法

他必須讓他們開口，

but he never had much success chopping off fingers

可無論是砍掉手指，

and smacking people around the face.

還是朝人臉上猛搧，他向來都收效甚微。

It was his good fortune then that he had recently been introduced 文法

幸運的是，他最近剛聽說

to a new method of ensuring cooperation.

一種確保對方配合的新辦法。

A while back, he'd met a fellow thief in a tavern, 片語搭配

不久前，他在一家酒館裡遇到了另一個竊賊，

a thief who said he'd always had a 100% success rate

那人聲稱自己從來都能百分之百成功地

in extracting information from his victims. 片語搭配

從受害者嘴裡套出情報。

The man explained that to get people to talk,

那人解釋說，要讓人開口，

it wasn't good enough to just beat them up a bit. 片語動詞

光把他們揍一頓遠遠不夠。

What was required was a device so brutal 文法

真正需要的是一種殘忍至極的裝置，

the very thought of it would get people talking in seconds. 講解

只要想到它，人們幾秒內就會招供。

And if they didn't immediately talk,

要是他們沒有立刻開口，

the solution was simple.

辦法也很簡單。

Start the device at notch one.

把裝置開到第一檔。

The man explained that no one,

那人解釋說，沒有人，

absolutely no one could endure notch two.

絕對沒有任何人能熬過第二檔。

So the thief woke up the couple and told them in no uncertain terms, 慣用語

於是，竊賊叫醒了夫妻倆，毫不含糊地告訴他們，

they needed to take him to the stash of jewels

他們必須帶他去找那批珠寶，

he knew they had hidden.

因為他知道他們把珠寶藏了起來。

Not surprisingly,

不出所料，

the husband said there was no stash.

丈夫說根本沒有什麼寶藏。

Just take what you see and please leave us in peace, 片語搭配

眼前有什麼你就拿走吧，求你別再打擾我們，

he told the robber.

他對劫匪說道。

After uttering those words,

說完這番話後，

the thief pulled something out of a bag.

竊賊從袋子裡掏出了一件東西。

The man and his wife had no idea what they were looking at.

夫妻倆完全不知道眼前是什麼。

It looked like a pear,

它看起來像一顆梨，

a pear made from metal,

一顆金屬製成的梨，

connected to some kind of key.

還連著某種鑰匙。

The thief calmly explained to them,

竊賊平靜地向他們解釋，

and we should say with some amount of relish, 用詞

而且不得不說，他的語氣裡還帶著幾分得意，

that in a minute or two,

再過一兩分鐘，

one of them would be trying on the device.

他們中的一個就要試戴這件裝置。

The woman screamed just thinking about that,

女人光是想到這裡就尖叫起來，

which helped the thief make his decision

這也幫竊賊做出了決定：

regarding who would first experience his dear Pear of Anguish.

誰將第一個體驗他心愛的「苦痛梨」。

We won't explain what happened next.

接下來發生的事，我們就不細說了。

Your imagination should be able to come up with the rest of that story. 片語動詞

你的想像力應該足以補完這個故事。

If you can't just see how that thief might have gotten the information he wanted,

如果你還想像不出竊賊是怎樣得到想要的情報，

you'll soon find out.

很快你就會知道。

The Pear of Anguish wasn't something to be taken lightly. 慣用語

「苦痛梨」絕不是可以掉以輕心的東西。

It was sometimes only used as a gag, 用詞

有時，它只被當作口塞使用，

but if that screw was ever turned a few times,

可一旦那枚螺桿被轉上幾圈，

the results could literally be jaw-dropping. 慣用語

結果真的可能讓人「驚掉下巴」。

The question is, 表達脈絡

問題是，

did that ever happen?

這種事真的發生過嗎？

Was it ever used in a Hollywood horror kind of way? 文化背景

它真曾像好萊塢恐怖片裡那樣被使用過嗎？

Some folks think yes,

有些人認為有，

others think no.

另一些人認為沒有。

First,

首先，

we need to talk about the earliest recorded uses of this terrible pear.

我們得談談這種可怕梨形裝置最早的使用紀錄。

Some of the contraptions are sitting in museums today,

如今，一些這樣的裝置就陳列在博物館裡，

but the evidence of their use is still somewhat scant.

但有關其實際用途的證據仍然相當匱乏。

Still,

不過，

we have some evidence to work with. 片語搭配

我們手頭還是有一些證據可供分析。

There's a book that was written in 1639

1639年，有一本書問世，

by a French author named F. de Calvi.

作者是名叫F. de Calvi的法國人。

The book in English is translated

這本書的書名可譯為

as General Inventory of the History of Thieves.

《盜賊史總錄》。

In this book,

在這本書中，

the writer states that the pear was invented

作者稱，這種梨形裝置是由

by a well-known thief named Gushru de Palioli.

一個名叫Gushru de Palioli的知名竊賊發明的。

The writer explains that Palioli used the device

作者解釋說，Palioli會使用這種裝置

when robbing wealthy Parisians.

搶劫富有的巴黎人。

Although Calvi doesn't say that the victims had their jaws broken apart,

Calvi並未說受害者的下巴被撐裂，

only that it was used as a very scary type of gag.

只說它被用作一種極其嚇人的口塞。

There's more evidence of this device being used for robberies,

還有其他證據表明，這種裝置曾被用於搶劫，

but outside of France.

只不過地點在法國之外。

In the 1811 book Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, 文化背景

1811年出版的《俗語辭典》中

it's written that the pear was used to extort people in Holland. 用詞

寫道，這種梨形裝置曾在荷蘭被用來勒索他人。

Another book written at the end of the 19th century

19世紀末出版的另一本書

called The Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable,

《布魯爾短語與寓言辭典》

also included a passage describing how Dutch criminals

也收錄了一段文字，描述荷蘭罪犯如何

would put the pear in a victim's mouth

把這種梨塞進受害者嘴裡，

and then demand a certain amount of money.

然後索要一筆錢。

What's frightening is that the book explains

令人恐懼的是，書中還解釋說，

that on some devices the key was detachable.

某些裝置的鑰匙是可以拆下來的。

So if the criminal wanted,

所以，只要罪犯願意，

he could leave the pear in the victim's mouth.

他就能把梨形裝置留在受害者嘴裡。

Without the key,

沒有鑰匙，

it was very hard or impossible to remove.

要取下它就非常困難，甚至根本不可能。

And that's why cash could be extorted.

罪犯正是藉此勒索錢財。

Such a torture instrument may have made its way around the US 慣用語

這種刑具或許曾在美國各地出現，

sometime during the 19th century,

時間大約是在19世紀，

but that's debatable. 語氣意圖

但這一點仍有爭議。

A detective working in Boston at the end of the 1800s

19世紀末，一名在波士頓工作的偵探

admitted that pears as gags had been used in the US,

承認，美國確實有人把這種梨用作口塞，

but he noted that they weren't quite as cruel

但他指出，它們並不像

as the gags that had been used in Europe.

歐洲使用的口塞那麼殘酷。

The detective wrote that the American pear was far less marvelous and dangerous 文法

這名偵探寫道，美國版的梨遠不如

than the pear of Palioli.

Palioli的梨那般奇特和危險。

The US Pear of Anguish

美國版的「苦痛梨」

was likely comparable

很可能只相當於

to a pool ball or a sock.

一顆撞球或一隻襪子。

Okay,

好了，

now for something more gruesome. 表達脈絡

現在來說點更駭人的。

It's said that during medieval times,

據說在中世紀，

the pear was used to extract confessions 片語搭配

這種梨形裝置曾被用來逼取口供，

from people accused of being witches. 文法

對象是那些被指控為女巫的人。

In this case,

在這種情況下，

most of the people who faced the pear were women.

面對苦痛梨的人大多是女性。

It doesn't take a genius to figure out 慣用語

不用多聰明也能想到，

how else such an instrument could have been used

這種器具還可能被用在什麼地方，

to cause immense pain and even death.

從而造成劇烈疼痛，甚至死亡。

The human body has a number of orifices

人體有多個孔口，

other than the mouth,

嘴巴只是其中之一，

and it's those places where the pear was sometimes inserted.

而這種梨形裝置有時就會被插進其他孔口。

Or at least that's the tale that's been told. 表達脈絡

至少流傳下來的故事是這麼說的。

Once the key was turned,

鑰匙一旦轉動，

the petals opened

梨瓣就會張開，

and the woman would suffer unimaginably.

那名女子將承受難以想像的痛苦。

Often the petals would have spikes attached to them 文法

梨瓣上往往還裝有尖刺，

to cause extensive internal damage.

會對體內造成嚴重損傷。

We know this because of the artifacts

我們之所以知道這些，是因為那些實物，

that you can find today in torture museums.

如今在酷刑博物館裡就能看到。

Those artifacts are very much real,

那些實物確實是真品，

but as you'll see, 表達脈絡

但正如你接下來會看到的，

they're also questionable.

它們同樣疑點重重。

Men,

男性

it seems, 語氣意圖

似乎

might also suffer from similar torture,

也可能遭受類似的酷刑，

except the orifice of choice in their case 片語搭配

只不過對他們來說，被選中的孔口

was the entrance in the backside.

是後方的入口。

The outcome of torture was similar:

酷刑造成的後果大致相同：

immense pain,

劇烈疼痛，

internal damage,

體內損傷，

and heavy blood loss,

以及大量失血，

possibly death.

甚至可能死亡。

This is what we hear about the Pear of Anguish

這就是我們參觀某些博物館時

when visiting certain museums.

會聽到的關於「苦痛梨」的說法。

Although in the 2014 book

然而，2014年出版的

The Pear of Anguish, Torture, Truth, and Dark Medievalism,

《苦痛梨：酷刑、真相與黑暗中世紀主義》一書中，

the writer states that there's no proof this ever happened.

作者表示，沒有證據證明這些事真的發生過。

He goes as far to say that some of the devices still around today 文法

他甚至聲稱，現存的某些裝置

are actually built after medieval times.

其實是在中世紀之後才製造的。

So like some other torture devices

因此，它們就像其他一些刑具一樣，

we've talked about in the past,

也就是我們過去談過的那些，

such as the Iron Maiden,

比如「鐵處女」，

they may have been created for the scare factor only, 片語搭配

它們可能只是為了嚇人而製造的，

to show more modern people how brutish and backward

好讓現代人看到過去的人

people were in the past.

有多麼野蠻落後。

Nonetheless, 表達脈絡

儘管如此，

during our research,

在研究過程中，

we found sources stating that the pears were used on blasphemers 文化背景

我們還是找到一些資料，聲稱這種梨曾被用來懲罰褻瀆神明者，

or even liars.

甚至是說謊者。

And in those cases,

在這些情況下，

the mouth was the place the torture took place.

嘴巴就是實施酷刑的部位。

The same sources say that if a woman purposefully miscarried,

同一批資料還說，如果一名女子故意讓自己流產，

she might also face the pear,

她也可能遭受苦痛梨的折磨，

but the location it was to be inserted

但裝置要插入的部位

was her vagina.

是她的陰道。

As for a man,

至於男性，

if he was accused of being homosexual,

如果他被指控為同性戀，

he might have been brutalized by the pear,

他可能會遭到苦痛梨的殘酷折磨，

but the location was his anus.

而插入的部位是他的肛門。

There seems to be little doubt that the Pear of Anguish 語氣意圖

似乎幾乎可以肯定，「苦痛梨」

was used by thieves in Europe,

曾被歐洲的竊賊使用，

but if they were ever employed by torturers in medieval times,

但中世紀的行刑者是否也曾使用它，

it's up for debate. 語氣意圖

仍然存在爭議。

It's highly likely that the French thief we talked about 片語搭配

我們之前提到的那名法國竊賊

had his very own Pear of Anguish,

很可能確實有一件自己的苦痛梨，

and there's little doubt that some Dutch criminals used them.

而一些荷蘭罪犯用過它，也幾乎毋庸置疑。

But historians these days argue 表達脈絡

但如今的歷史學家認為，

that the pear's expanding in men and women's

在中世紀，把這種梨形裝置在男性和女性的

lower orifices in the Middle Ages

下體孔口內撐開的說法，

was possibly an invention of propagandists 用詞

可能是宣傳者杜撰出來的，

writing in the 19th century

這些人在19世紀寫文章，

about the terrible past.

描繪過去的可怕景象。

One historian writes

一位歷史學家寫道，

that the surviving devices

那些保存至今、

you can currently find around the world

目前散落在世界各地的裝置

would not have been sturdy enough 文法

根本不夠堅固，

to cause any internal damage we've talked about.

無法造成我們所說的任何體內損傷。

Although he admits 表達脈絡

不過他也承認，

that they could have certainly expanded an orifice

它們當然可以把孔口撐開，

and caused a certain degree of discomfort. 表達脈絡

並造成一定程度的不適。

Now you need to watch this:

現在你該看看這個：

Iron Maiden,

「鐵處女」，

worst punishments in the history of mankind.

人類歷史上最殘酷的刑罰。

Or have a look at this:

或者看看這個：

Drawn and quartered,

「車裂分屍」，

worst punishments in the history of mankind.

人類歷史上最殘酷的刑罰。