FAMOUS FLINGISTS Many fifteenth and sixteenth century sources sing the praises of a seemingly superb Northumbrian flingist, Rupert the Spleenless. Born ca. 1388, Rupert received his name as a result of having lost his spleen in the battle of Tittery, a minor skirmish about which little else is known. The exact nature of the wound has remained a mystery and he seems to have lived a normal span of years, however, he did reputedly suffer one unusual effect: whenever he sneezed he was unable to speak anything but French for a period of several hours. Period sources describe his condition as "fits during which he would gibber inanely", probably due to the fact that he is very unlikely ever to have met anyone who spoke French. The truth was only discovered much later when the remains of his teeth were examined (see Vincent Grudgemore's 1920 monograph: "Romance languages as a primary cause of dental deformity").