Memoirs to Serve the History of the Feast of Fools...

Memoirs to Serve the History of the Feast of Fools, which was formerly held in several churches. By Mr. Du Tilliot, ordinary gentleman of His Royal Highness the Duke of Berry. DU TILLIOT (Jean Baptiste Lucotte) Lausanne and Geneva, s.n., 1751. Duodecimo (12mo) of X + 183 pp; 12 plates at the end. Half-morocco, spine with 5 raised bands, author, title, and year at the tail. 19th-century cover. Good copy of this second posthumous edition published 10 years after the first, complete with the 12 plates. The work presents the history of the Feast of the Ass, Feast of the Innocents, or Feast of Fools (sic) from the foundation of the Society of the Fool in Cleves in 1381 until the 18th century. These celebrations took the form of masquerades, most often occurring on December 26, 27, and 28 in Europe, particularly in northern France. They could be derived from the Roman Saturnalia according to some historians. This feast is sometimes considered by specialists as a medieval ancestor of theater, since indeed, the actors of these feasts were the ecclesiastics, who, in disguise, danced while entering the choir and sang songs that were not part of the liturgical collection. The first part of the work focuses more on the historical aspect of these practices and the societies that participated in them; the second part focuses on Burgundy (which was the author's region of origin) and more particularly the institution of the mother-fool of Dijon, which was later abolished by Louis XIII. The author critiques the ecclesiastical hierarchy, the resurgence of pre-Christian festivals, the local expression of popular celebration, or even the feast of transgression... The work contains 12 plates at the end in intaglio by Nicolas-Jean-Baptiste de Poilly (1707-1780) representing the standards, clothing, seals, and attributes used during the ceremonies.