Chivalry
Having been a while since we last posted a “Ponderable Quote,” I thought we would start again with a few brief excerpts from Émile Théodore Léon Gautier’s (1832-1897) Chivalry: The Everyday Life of the Medieval Knight (Tumblr House, 2015). I just started reading the book, but I’ve already found plenty worth sharing. Here are a few choice bits:
There is more than one kind of Chivalry, and lance thrust are not everything! In default of the sword, we have the pen: failing the pen, speech: and in default of speech, honor, in our lives! (P. 6)
[Chivalry] is less an institution than an ideal. Many volumes have been written upon this noble subject, and a few words will be sufficient to define clearly chivalry and the knight. "Chivalry is the Christian form of the military profession: the knight is the Christian soldier." (p. 7)
In legendary lore the embodiment of chivalry is Roland: in history it is Godfrey de Bouillon. There are no more worthy names than these. (p. 20)
This highly praised code has unfortunately never been formulated with sufficient clearness and it is too true that the pure gold of ancient chivalry was very quickly alloyed. In the twelfth century—one is too apt to forget the date—the romance of the Round Table spread amongst us the taste for a less wild but also a less manly chivalry. The elegancies of love in them occupied the place formerly reserved for the brutality of war and the spirit of adventure in them extinguished the spirit of the crusades. One will never know how much harm this cycle of the "Round Table" inflicted on us. It civilized us no doubt; but effeminated us. It took away from us our old aim, which was the tomb of Christ gained by blood and battle. For the austerities of the Supernatural it substituted the tinsel of the Marvelous. It is to this dangerous but charming literature that we owe the theatrical, the boastful, rash chivalry which proved so fatal during the Thirty Years War. It was against it and not against our old Epopœia that Cervantes pointed his pencil, and we must confess that some complaints of the great satirist were not without foundation. Thanks to this regrettable encroachment we now entertain a false idea of the true chivalry, which we confuse with a certain delicate and sometimes an excessive gallantry. The time has arrived to protest against such an error. (p. 22)Holy Name Society
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| An unexpected, but greatly appreciated gift |
Even better than the album, I was happy to learn that the restored painting was finally mounted on the wall of the baptistery. Still abuzz about the Mass, the parish is serious about reestablishing this important southern Italian tradition and plans for next year’s celebration are already in the works.
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| The newly restored painting of Our Lady of the Rosary of Pompeii now hangs in the baptistery |
A curious friend asks: Who were the personal patrons "too numerous to name" in our recent post about Sant'Uberto? Not one to publish inquiries online, I made an exception this time because I regret not giving all my holy benefactors their due. In order of acquisition:
Santa Patrizia di Costantinopoli (St. Patricia); Sant’Antonio Abate (St. Anthony the Great); Santa Lucia Martire (St. Lucy); San Rocco (St. Roch); San Vito Martire (St. Vito); San Pantaleone Martire (St. Pantaleon); Santa Barbara di Nicomedia (St. Barbara); Sant’Eustachio Martire (St. Eustace); Santa Margherita Maria Alacoque (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque); San Lorenzo Martire (St. Lawrence); Sant’Andrea Apostolo (St. Andrew the Apostle); San Bonifacio (St. Boniface); and Santa Geltrude la Grande (St. Gertrude the Great).
As for the “others” I alluded to in the list of martial saints, they are: San Giovanni da Capestrano (St. John of Capistrano); San Lorenzo da Brindisi (St. Lawrence); San Sebastiano Martire (St. Sebastian); San Vincenzo Martire (St. Vincent, the Martyr of Craco); and San Maurizio Martire (St. Maurice). Christus Vincit
His Excellency Bishop Athanasius Schneider’s highly anticipated Christus Vincit: Christ’s Triumph Over the Darkness of the Age (Angelico Press, 2019) is now available at the Shrine Church of the Holy Innocents (128 W 37th St.) in Manhattan. All set to buy a copy online, I picked one up after Sunday Mass instead. Since I’m currently reading Chivalry delivery speed was not really an issue, however if ever given the choice I prefer to shop locally. This is especially true when given the opportunity to support Holy Innocents, “The little Catholic Church around the corner” at the crossroads of the world.
~ Giovanni di Napoli, November 13, Feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini
