But he knew the rest of the catalogue. There would be mention of the bishops in their lawn sleeves, the judges in their ermine robes, the pillory, the stocks, the treadmill, the cat o’ nine tails, the Lord Mayor’s Banquet and the practice of kissing the Pope’s toe. There was also something called the jus primae noctis , which would probably not be mentioned in a textbook for children. It was the law by which every capitalist had the right to sleep with any woman working in one of his factories.