Marriage as Alibi, as Euphemism, as Recruitment

Abstract

This chapter looks at the testimony of Antonio Valez, who was part of the group of men that was arrested and accused of getting married and conducting sodomy in a vineyard. It describes vineyards outside the city walls of Rome as the site of sexual activities, including the abduction and rape of boys by older youths or men. It also analyzes the question of marriage that came up in Valez's next statement, which was a response to the court's telling him to describe what business it was that brought him to Rome. The chapter explores Valez's statement of a desire for chastity that serves to counter suspicions of debauchery and sodomy, referencing to marriage. It details how Valez sought to establish his distance from any form of shameful or illicit sexual activity and the potential of his contracting an honorable, religious, and legal union with a woman.