The cold-water ordeal: a man is tortured by being tied with rope and lowered into cold water. Etching.

This form of trial was based upon the belief in the magical and purifying properties of water. It was held that water, being under divine influence, would automatically reject those guilty of sin or crime. The trial was carried out under the direction of a priest. The accused was stripped naked, securely bound hand and foot, a rope fastened around his middle, and a knot made in the rope at a distance from the body of half a yard. After that, the prisoner was thrown into the water. Sinking to such a depth that the knot in the cord was drawn under the surface was considered to be proof of innocence. Failure to sink was accepted as a sign of guilt