procedure is I he Second Best-ir is used because the murderer is not kno\vn-is not concealed, and is oh\ it>us on its tacec II A first illustration ot fhe Last Best C'hance may be taken fromthe formal or ritual curse, with legal and religious backing. I'he curse of this type had a long history but it is mainly used in \er\- limited circumstances, nameh’ (i) where the wrongdoer cannot be established; (2) where the wrongdoer is beyond reach either because he cannot be found or is too powerful; (3) less often, where it cannot be prot ed that the suspected crime actually has occurred. An illuminating e- .\ample of this last occurs in the Bible, at Numbers viif In certain circumstances when a husband accused his wife of adulterx’, an oath would be taken from her, the priest would utter a curse upon her, and if she was unfaithful she would suffer, perhaps ha\e a miscarriage. When was the curse to be used.- (Jod was quite specific. riic Lord .spoke to .Moses, saving: 12. Speak to the Israelites anti sa\ to them: It any man's wife goes astray and is unfaithful to him, 13. if a man has had intercourse with her hut it is hidden from her husband, so that she is undetected though she has defiled herself, and there is no witness against her since she was not caught in the act; 14. if a spirit of iealousv comes on him, and he is jealous ot his wite who had defiled herself; or if a spirit of jealous\’ comes on him, and he is jealous ot his wite, though she has not defiled herselt; 15. then the man shall bring his wite to the priest. .\nd he shall bring the ottering required tor her, one-tenth ot an ephah of barley tlour. He shall pour no oil on it and put no frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy a grain ottering ot remembrance, bringing iniquitx’ to remembrance. 2 The Second Best is not confined to law. Thus, when Odysseus had not returned to Ithaca many years after the Trojan War the goddess Athene advised his son Telemachus that he should search and if he hear that Odysseus is dead he should heap up a mound and pay funeral rites over it: Homer Odyssey i.289ff. 126
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