MDMD Jesuit Instrument

[kevin at limits.org]

On Tue, 16 Oct 2001, pynchon-l-digest wrote:
> From: Terrance <lycidas2 at earthlink.net>
>
> In any event, A young Gallant shows up with a small stringed instrument
> (a lute, I read someplace that more music was written for the lute than
> any other) and the girls have a little fun with him.
>
> He says he got the instrument from a Jesuit.

Thanks for your MDMD comments everyone.  I just wanted to pipe in and
speculate that the Jesuits giving a young Gallant a lute could be a joke
or riff on an old myth:  the Devil gives a mortal great powers with his
Chosen Instrument, in exchange, of course, for his soul (or, in some
versions, all proceeds from the "Stairway to Heaven" single).  The first
such-accused musician I'm aware of was Paganini, b. 1782; Robert Johnson
is probably the most famous.