Dear George,
Although I hate to spoil a good joke, none of my sources claim that
Alphege actually died of being pelted with CHICKEN bones. In fact,
according to the Oxford Dictionary of Saints, the drunken Danes
killed him with the bones of oxen, which seems a lot more practicable.
After all, how many chicken bones would it take to kill even the most
eager martyr? And somehow I feel that pelting chicken bones is a
bit too dainty for a crowd of drunken Danes.
It is also rather topical in showing, of course, that even then one
did not need to eat beef oneself to die of it (in England, at least).
Sophie Oosterwijk
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