TRITURATION, Threshing, treading out of Corn; or rather, treading the Straw under the Feet of Beasts, to make the Corn 1 Cor. ix. 9. 1 Tim. v. 18. Deut. xxv. 4.come out. St. Paul says, after Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. They used to muzzle these Animals, or they rubbed their Snouts with Cow-dung, that they might not eat the Corn as they trod it. The Business of Trituration was performed after this manner: They provided a Floor in the Fields, that was well beat, and very clean, about a Tree, as near as possible. They set up Sheaves one by another, very thick, round about the Body of the Tree. Then, by whipping the Oxen or Horses, they made them to mount up upon the Sheaves so set up, and made them run all together about the Tree, to bruise the Sheaves, to reduce them to Chaff, and to make the Corn fall out of the Ears. This was generally done at the hottest time of the Day; and at Evening they cleansed the Floor, by tossing up the Corn and Chaff together into the Air, by which the Chaff was driven by the Wind without the Floor, and the Corn fell down again within it.
The Scripture often alludes to this manner of threshing and winnowing Corn. Mic. iv. 13.Arise, and thresh, O daughter of Sion; for I will make thine horn iron, and I will make thine hoofs brass; and thou shalt beat in pieces many people; thou shalt bruise them Isai. xxi. 10. to dust. Isaiah calls Babylon, at the time of its Destruction, O my threshing, and the corn of my floor: You are, as it were, my Harvest, gathered into the Floor, and prepared to be trod out by Beasts: Your Enemies are going to begin their Trituration, and you shall be reduced to Chaff. Jeremiah makes use of the same Similitude, in Jerem. li, 33. speaking of the same thing. Filia Babylonis quasi area, tempus triturae ejus. Adhuc modicum, & venit tempus messionis ejus. The Author of the Second Book of Kings says, that the King of Syria had reduced Judea to the Condition of a Floor, where 2 Kings xiii. 7. Corn was threshed: He had brought it to Dust. Redegerat quasi pulverem in tritura areæ.
The Business of Trituration was very laborious; whence it is that God forbad the muzzling of those Creatures that were employed in this Work, to teach Men Lessons of Humanity and Compassion towards others. The Prophet Hosea compares Ephraim Hos. x. 11.to a Heifer accustomed to Trituration, full fed, and that would not submit to the Yoke: Ephraim vitula docta diligere trituram: But the Lord says, I will tame her; I will take her by the Neck, and put on her Yoke: Transivi super pulchritudinem colli ejus.
There was another manner of Trituration, which was performed with Sledges or Carriages shod with Iron. See before, the Article FLOOR.