Originally Posted by
Burney
Yeah, basically, they'd joint you like a piece of meat and stick your bits out to rot - except your head, which they'd tar first to preserve it.
Actually, one of the most effective tortures was simply hanging someone with their arms behind them. The dislocation of the shoulders would happen gradually and the pain would be exquisite without the torturer really having to put any effort in. The bastinado (or beating of the soles of the feet) was very effective, too.
Mind you, according to the Spanish Inquisition records, most people gave in at the point when they were being shown the instruments of torture.