This week we enter the realms of pre-adolescent male humour — and the humour of wealthy and powerful medievals. We all know that every court had one or more jesters, and it seems that some of them included farting to order amongst their repertoire. Some were even able to fart tunes (indeed from memory there is a line somewhere in Chaucer about some character “playing upon the arse trumpet”).

Note the flatulists at right
The best known of the medieval professionals is Roland the Farter. As a minstrel to King Henry II, Roland probably had many talents besides being a flatulist. In fact so good was Roland that he was rewarded with a manor house and 100 acres of land.
And even to this day there is the occasional professional farter.
There’s more such amusement at www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-true-story-of-roland-the-farter-and-how-the-internet-killed-professional-flatulence.