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dear all jeremy goldberg, who teaches here at York, is fond of using the relevant case in seminars to discuss the possible role of women; i can therefore testify to the fact that the case does indeed exist. one can find commentary in J[aqueline?] Murray "On the origins and role of 'wise women' in causes for annulment on the grounds of male impotence" in Journal of medieval History vol.16 n.3 (1990). I think that there is some discussion over whether the women were respected widows, or prostitutes. If you are all overcome with curiousity i will ask Jeremy to supply me with the relevant details! cheers john arnold centre for medieval studies, york, england On Wed, 29 May 1996, MICHAEL WRIGHT wrote: > On Sun, 26 May 1996, Frederik Pedersen wrote about > > >a fourteenth-century York impotence case. The defendant, John > >Sanderson, is exposed to an investigation by "good and honest > >women," who attempt to give him an erection. > > I'm only an ignorant literature person, but even as I realise > the logicality of the procedure, the mind boggles. What > tribunal was this? What is the Latin description of these 'good > and honest women', and why such rather than professionals? Were > they a standing body (sorry), the Examiners in Impotence, or an > ad hoc task force? > > Sorry for an interest which is not entirely divorced (? > annulled) from prurience, but the thing reads so much like a > Monty Python script that the weirdness is genuinely > illuminating about the otherness of the M.A. > > Baffled, > Michael Wright > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Dr M.J. Wright | [log in to unmask] > English Department | Ph. (64 9) 373 7999 ext. 7496 > University of Auckland | Fax (64 9) 373 7429 > P.B. 92019 Auckland, New Zealand | > %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%