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Dancin the council away
By Gary Macy
From the Journal of the
Council of Trent, by Secretary Massarelli, March 3, 1546: The Cardinal of
Trent, Cristoforo Madruzzo, had great feasting in his palace for the marriage
of a certain nobleman which was celebrated there. Among other things, after the
banquet, there was a ball in the presence of a large gathering of noble ladies.
As it is the custom of the country to invite all the guests at the banquet to
dance, and the Cardinal had welcomed to his table the bishops of Feltre, Agde,
Clermont and so on, the official secretary, Pighino, and the procurator fiscal
of the Council, all were able to take part in the dancing. And the Cardinal
wanted to honour them in that way. That evening he invited the Archbishop of
Palermo and several bishops to supper, and invited them to open the ball, with
himself at the head. And all this took place very honourably, with seemly
modesty and Christian charity.
Gary Macy is a theology professor at the University of
San Diego. His e-mail address is macy@pwa.acusd.edu |