&gt; 2) everyone agreed it was a crime against nature but it was so "terrible" and tempting that preachers referred to euphamisticly, so we have some trials that indicate that the accused is unaware that what they did was sodomy, and that thus it was wrong.

Its not just the euphemisms, its also the fact that language has evolved. A euphemism for homosexuality in England would be completely different from a euphemism for homosexuality in France or Italy. 

AND you have to talk about chronological differences. The word "gay" in 2019 has a completely different meaning from "gay" in the 1400s. Really digging into historical documents far enough in the past literally requires the reader to learn a new language.