Parody masses for gamblers and drinkers
About the work
Imported from the workbook's Full reassessment sheet, revised 7 October 2026 (record ID 61). The assessment below is the workbook's comparative judgment under its stated criteria; source links and limits are retained.
Workbook assessment: Spread only
Date or witness: c.1230–15th century; Kildare witness 1330–1370
Region: Latin western Europe
Workbook date-sort bounds: 1230 CE to 1500 CE; these bounds are not automatically invention or disappearance dates.
Description
Christian liturgical formulas are recast around dice, drink and Bacchus: Carmina Burana 215 is the gamblers' office; Harley MS 913 ff.13v–14v has a drinkers' mass opening with an approach to Bacchus's altar.
Evidence of adoption or transmission
Related parody liturgies recur in several Latin manuscript collections.
What remains uncertain
Learned clerical or student transmission is established more securely than broad non-elite adoption. Satire of authority alone does not establish a grassroots origin.
Workbook revision note: Reassessed using grassroots criteria