http://tags.gawker.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jezebel.com.png http://jezebel.com/tag/middleages http://jezebel.com/tag/middleages Written by an unknown author in the late fourteenth century, "Le Ménagier de Paris," is a guide for the medieval bride, written in the voice of an old man instructing his fifteen-year-old intended. A mix of recipes, housekeeping tips, and spiritual guidance, it's now available in its entirety. [New Yorker]

]]> http://jezebel.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5272605&view=rss&microfeed=true Well, we know where the law stands on giving a BJ in Idaho, but the Middle Ages were so much worse. Sometime around 1245, St. Albert The Great helped pen a handbook for sexual penances. The length of the punishment — bread, water, and abstinence — for "exotic congress" varied, depending on the sexual position.Punishments were as follows: Sex with the woman on top = three years; lateral, seated or standing sex= 40 days; coitus retro (rear entry)=40 days; mutual masturbation=30 days; inter-femural sex, aka ejaculation between the legs=40 days; coitus in terga, aka anal sex=three years (with an adult); two years (with a boy); seven years (habitual); 10 years (with a cleric). Oh, yeah, some things never change. [The Smart Set]

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