The Cardinals' Collation

The Cardinals' Collation (A Ceia dos Cardeais) is one-act play by Portuguese playwright Júlio Dantas, premiered on 24 March 1902. Originally written in Alexandrine couplets, it mostly comprises three monologues by three cardinals — one Portuguese, one French, and one Spanish — who are reminiscing about their first loves over a supper of pheasant with truffles in a richly-appointed Vatican room.

The first adaptation of the work into the English language was made by H. A. Saintsbury; it was first performed at the Globe Theatre in London on 7 February 1926. A BBC Television studio production was made in 1938.