Cheese and Worms: The Cosmos of a Sixteenth-Century Miller

Domenico Scandella was an ordinary miller who lived in the Friuli region of northeastern Italy in the sixteenth century. He could read and write, and had read books such as The Decameron, the Italian-language Bible, and the Travels of Sir John Mandeville. He could also retell them in his own words. He spoke openly about his feelings and explained his views on the Church and the world to his neighbors, priests, and the judges of the Inquisition. Given the chance to appear before the pope or a king, he would gladly speak his mind to them, too. He did not believe in Christ’s redemption, questioned the biblical texts, and mocked the sacraments, such as baptism, as nothing but a business. He said God was a breath of air and compared all the angels to maggots in cheese. He loudly denounced the priests and nobles who oppressed the poor, calling on the Church to abandon its privileges and return to a simple life of poverty. He even longed to launch a radical religious reformation. Fifteen years separated his two trials, but the withdrawal of friends and family, the priests’ rebukes, and the judges’ threats never shook his “heretical” convictions or confidence. In the end, after living a life of near obscurity, he was sentenced by the Inquisition to be burned at the stake on the pope’s direct orders. He died on the eve of the execution of the famous Bruno. Ginzburg weaves a deftly structured, compelling story, moving between the intricate trial records and the worlds of elite and popular culture. Through the eyes of the miller Domenico, we glimpse not only the lives and inner world of ordinary people, but also his strange imaginings, joys and sorrows, and determination to challenge authority. The rich panorama of sixteenth-century European popular culture unfolds before us, along with the sweeping story of Europe itself.