SpitoonCardinal Bembo once gave a splendid dinner in Rome. Among the guests was the Count Montebello, noted for his exquisite breeding.
At one point during the banquet, the count rose and gazed around at a priceless collection of carpets, mirrors, bronzes, wall tapestries, gold and crystal. He shrugged his shoulders before glancing at the regiment of liveried servants lined against the walls.
Finally he approached one of the lackeys and spat into his mouth. The cardinal, understandably shocked, gazed dumbfounded at his guest. "My lord," Montebello explained, "it was the only place I could find in the whole room where I could spit."
Bembo, Pietro (1470-1547) Italian scholar, historian, poet and writer
[Sources: S. Radecki, Stories, ABC...]More Pietro Bembo anecdotesRelated Anecdote Keywords:
Awkward Moments Manners Extravagance Wealth Humiliation Servants Explanations Spitting Propriety Surprises Gross
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