In the past, a defendant who refused to plead (or "stood mute") was subject to peine forte et dure (Law French for "strong and hard punishment").
ɪnðə pˈæst, ɐ dᵻfˈɛndənt hˌuː ɹᵻfjˈuːzd tə plˈiːd ɔːɹ "stˈʊd mjˈuːt"wʌz sˈʌbdʒɛkt tə pˈeɪn fˈoːɹɾeɪ ˈɛt dˈʊɹ lˈɔː fɹˈɛntʃ fɔːɹ "stɹˈɔŋ ænd hˈɑːɹd pˈʌnɪʃmənt".