The Visions of Dom Francisco de Quevedo Villegas

A lively, seventeenth‑century satire bursts onto the scene, delivered in a brisk, conversational translation that feels both historic and unexpectedly immediate. The narrator slips into a bustling convent, where a crowd gathers for an exorcism that quickly turns into a comic showdown between a frantic priest and a devil who insists it is the devil, not the man, who is possessed. Through rapid‑fire repartee the text skewers pretentious clergy, greedy officials, and the very language of moralizing, all while the absurdity of a “catchpole”‑devil in tattered garb unravels the solemn ritual.

Quevedo’s razor‑sharp wit shines in every line, mixing coarse humor with incisive social commentary that still resonates today. Listeners will hear vivid, almost theatrical dialogues that bounce between the sacred and the profane, making the work feel like a spirited debate rather than a solemn sermon. The piece is a perfect entry point for anyone curious about early modern satire, offering a vivid soundscape that entertains while subtly exposing the hypocrisies of power.