Driving the Devil Out—Fasting and Confessing Your Sins

Abstract

“A full belly will never be humble or devout,” Sir Geoffrey tells his daughters when he admonishes them to pray before breaking their nightly fast. If Jeanne and Anne were being particularly good, they would step out of the warmth of their curtained bed to kneel in prayer before they began chattering with each other. A maidservant would bring them water to wash their faces and hands and then help them dress. On some days, the girls might accompany their mother to the chapel to hear Mass, after which they finally got to quell their hunger with bread and watered ale or wine. But on fast days, they might eat nothing at all before noon.