Pilgrimage to Gammarelli's

Most of the other items on the to-do list are now ticked off. Yesterday afternoon, I went with Frs Charles Briggs and John Boyle to Gammarelli. I ordered the buckled shoes and got a couple of other things there (OK - replacement fascia and biretta). Then to De Ritis which I can never resist referring to as De Ritibus where I found a couple of good albs to replace the rather worn out one I usually use and give some distinction to feast days. Barbiconi's provided some good sets of altar linens which I intend to give to one or two worthy causes - schools and charities which have their own chapels and always find this part of stocking them up the most difficult to get right.

We had a solemn reading of the obelisk inscription and then a beer in the Piazza del Pantheon. The inscription on the Pantheon reads (if my memory serves me) M. AGRIPPA. L.F. COS. TERTIUM FECIT - that is Marcus Agrippa, the son of Lucius, consul for the third time, made it. It is a fine example of Roman blunt simplicity. I remember Fr Reginald Foster telling us about a discussion between Pompey and Cicero whether TERTIUM or TERTIO should be written (on Pompey's theatre). Pompey ducked the question and wrote TERT. Marcus Agrippa was made of more decisive stuff.

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