You've probably seen the email that's circulating around the web, purporting to provide facts about the Middle Ages. In humorous terms it connects the origins of some modern phrases and customs with life in sixteenth-century England. One version talks about Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway; another is boldly entitled "Life in the 1500s." The most recent version I've seen has the subject heading "The Bad Old Days."
Just in case you didn't already know, let me make this perfectly clear:
- This is a hoax. It has virtually no basis in fact, and if any of its contents happens to strike near the real origin of an actual custom or phrase, it would be an astonishing coincidence.
The joke struck me as mildly amusing when I first read it several years ago, but then, I recognized it immediately as rubbish. Now its humor has worn thin in light of the reception it has gotten from some otherwise reasonable individuals, several of whom have contacted me asking -- in all seriousness -- how much of it is true.
Even if you don't know much about the Middle Ages, a quick visit to a dictionary or encyclopedia should cast serious doubts on the veracity of this hoax.
Most of the terms originate much later than the sixteenth century and in places other than England. Yet these trustworthy sources apparently don't always hold much weight. One of my correspondents consulted etymological dictionaries that contradicted the hoax at nearly every point, yet still expressed an inclination to believe that the hoax could be true.
Whatever may cause people to so readily swallow specious net lore, facts do exist to refute it.
The truth is out there -- or, rather, the truth is right here.
I present for your entertainment "The Bad Old Days," the infamous hoax that has been spreading misinformation about the Middle Ages throughout the Internet. You may wish to read it in its entirety for a few chuckles before checking out the real facts, or you can skip the main joke and move on to the individual excerpts and their refutations:
- Weddings & Hygiene
Baths
Thatched Roofs
Canopy Beds
Floors
Porridge
Pork
Tomatoes
Trench Mouth
Bread
Lead Cups
The Dead
The Truth?
It is important to note that the true origin of some of these phrases and customs are unknown, perhaps even unknowable.
It is this lack of any known alternative source which may prompt some of you to ignore my voice of reason and insist that the hoax has some credibility. You are perfectly welcome to voice your opinion on our bulletin board, but be prepared for contradictory responses!
If you know, or think you know, of an alternative origin for one of these phrases, by all means post that, as well, along with any sources you have for your information.