different realities and reactions 1815 asked the two accompanying priests to console the delinquent one followed him to the gallows praying, while the other answered that they had ”redan överlämnat honom i rättvisans händer”.556 Despite the objections of the likes of Jedeur the speeches continued to be given and the number of printed speeches increased. If they were given more often or only printed more often is hard to know, but of the twentyfive speeches and sermons related to executions that was printed during the period 1800–1829 seventeen came from the 1820’s. For the actual speeches directly after the execution the same figures are thirteen and nine.557 In 1828 the question about the speeches at the sites was raised by the ecclesiastical law committee which in a never approved proposal of new ecclesiastical law wrote that the speech, if given, should be a short admonition, not elevating the dead, and warn listeners not to stray from the way of virtue, a choice that could lead to the greatest crimes.558 In the house of priests in the diet of 1828–30 the dean Uddo Widén starting in the view that executions primarily served as warning against crime suggested that the executions should be much less of a religious act where the criminal was almost canonised. Such actions by priests had led to fools committing horrible crimes in order to honourably and saved end their lives. According to Widén the priests were generally two for every condemned, one at each side. They helped with the undressing, blindfolding, and laying down for the beheading. The condemned was blessed and hymns were often sung during the execution. Then a speech was given, often too much about the salvation of the executed. Widén suggested that the priests should have the right to leave after blindfolding the condemned, and that they should be forbidden to further aid with the execution or give speeches.559 556 Charpentier 1969 p 106, ’already delivered him into the hands of justice’. 557 Börgesson 1824, Cronsioe 1826, Ekdahl 1826, Elmlund 1826, Faxe 1803, Gullander 1812, Gullander 1820, Herslow 1830, Holmgren 1829, Hylander 1805 p 1 sqq, 57 sqq, 91 sqq, 129 sqq, Lindblom 1828, Ljungquist 1817, Luthman 1814, Malmberg 1827, Nordlander 1828, Psilander 1818, Schultz 1829, Skriftemål 1826, Skrifte-Tal 1824, Skrifte-Tal 1826, Strömvall 1820, Warnings-Ord 1827, Wassberg 1826. 558 Förslag 1828 6:16. 559 RD1828–30Pr IV:65 sqq. 159
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