Dr. Baglivi, a Roman physician, mentions that "in Italy an unusually large proportion of the sick recover during lent in consequence of the lower diet, which is then observed as a religious duty." St. Basil says, on fasting: "It cures diseases, dries up the humours of the body, puts the demons to flight, renders the mind clearer, the heart purer, and the body holier; in short, it raises the man to the throne of God." Dr. Holland states that "the stomach requires the stimulous of variety, but not a variety of stimulants," and gives a curious and entertaining table compiled by a Dr. Beaumont, of the United States Army, from his work entitled "Experiments on the Gastric Juice," printed at Boston in 1814, a work worthy every valetudinarian's perusal. Trusting that what I have written may not be considered impertinent, I will now proceed more particularly to the matter of the chapter. The coronation dinner of King Henry V., (1413,) which happened during lent, was entirely of fish. Notwithstanding the reformation had taken place, Queen Elizabeth issued a proclamation in 1563, ordering fish days to be as rigidly observed as during the time of the old religion. It was considered wise in a national point of view, and was fully observed for perhaps half the century. Fish is ordered to be eaten in Leviticus 11: 9, and in Deuteronomy 14: 9. This order was very politic, tending indirectly to add to the quantity of human food; for every spring myriads of fish come up the rivers, bays, and creeks to spawn, and may be thus easily taken. And, while a population are thus fed, the young calves and lambs, which come at the same period, are permitted to thrive and grow toward maturity. Hence the wisdom of the divine legislature. In the middle ages our sturdy ancestors ate baked meat, which will account for their enormous ovens. A description of the one at Raby Castle, now turned into a wine-cellar, will now, from this circumstance, be better understood. King John issued an order to Hugh Neville, dated April 19th, 1206, regulating kitchens. Among other regulations, there was one setting forth that they were to be provided with the means, and the fire-places were to be sufficient, to roast two or three oxen whole. To do this, the kitchens were on a grand scale.* The abbot's old kitchen, (octagon shape,) at Glastonbury, is now in a fine state of preservation, but occupied as a farmer's barn. There is one at Stanton Harcourt 29 feet square, * Fosbroke says: "There were bellows-blowers in the royal kitchens, to see that the soup was neither burnt nor smoked." and 60 feet high to the top of roof: there were two fire-places, but no chimney; the smoke makes its exit through a louvre, creeping up the dingy and dusty walls. The large kitchen at Haddon Hall had two vast fire-places, with irons for several tiers of spits, various store places, a great double range of dressers, and an enormous chopping-block, sawn out of the solid butt of an ash tree; adjoining to this kitchen were several larders. At Cowdray House, among other luxuries, was a small fountain in the middle, spouting forth cold water to moderate the temperature. From Aubrey's (born 1625) MSS.: "Roasting Jacks had not been introduced, so 'the poor boys did turn the spits and licked the dripping-pans, and grew to be large, lusty knaves.' Such being the furniture of this part of the dwelling, let us now take a view of what they produced. THE KING'S FEAST. THE following articles constituted an entertainment at Hoghton Hall, in Lancashire, the seat of Sir Arthur Lake, to King James, Sunday, August 17th, 1617: Chief cooks were, Messrs. Morris and Miller. Cooks for the pallets, John Clerk and John Bibby. Cooks for roasting and baking, John Coleburne, Elias James, John Raikes, and A. Daman. Labourers for roasting and baking and for the pastries, J. Green, R. Blythe, W. Aldersey, and Alexander Cowper. I am surprised he did not knight all the cooks, for it was at this visit, which lasted for several days, that he knighted the loin of beef. He had presented to him, by the rustics, while he was out sporting in the park attached to this noble house, a petition, praying them to be allowed to enjoy themselves on the Sabbath after church service, which was the origin of his celebrated Book of Sports; which book was the cause of more preaching and scribbling than enough; so that this visit is an important one in English history. See p. 234. But, reader, after reading over the list of nice things, did it not tend to make you break one of the commandments? did not your appetite covet some of them? For my part, when I first read the account, I remembered the old adage, that “eating, like scratching, only wants a beginning," and I really wished for one small slice out of the haunch of venison, and that my throat was a mile long, and every inch a palate." That wish, by Dr. Kitchener, beats Philoxenus of old; he only "wished to have the neck of a crane, that he might enjoy the taste of his aliments longer and with more pleasure." One thing cannot fail striking the attentive reader, viz., the small quantity of vegetables, and apparently little fruit either in pastry or as a desert. How they drank their wines or other liquors, I cannot inform the reader. But Dr. Whittaker, this county's historian, who died in 1821, says: "We are indebted to the French for the temperate elegance of drinking wine at dinner. Sixty years ago the Lancashire gentry used to go into their cellars and drink themselves drunk from the pipes." And now, by way of contrast, I will give Cromwell's style of living. A republican simplicity prevailed in the banquets at Whitehall during his administration, the plain fare of whose tables was the subject of many sneers among the luxurious loyal. An idea of his dinners may be formed by the following manner in which his lady baked a pig: "The carcass was incased in a coating of clay, like one of his own iron sides in his coat of mail, and in this state it was stewed among the hot ashes of the stoke-hole. Scotch collops also formed one of the standing dishes of her cookery: we are informed that she ate marrow puddings at breakfast, while her youngest daughter delighted in a sausage made of hogs' liver."* Cromwell, with the stomach of a soldier, despised French and elaborate cookery; but at his state dinners he had them, yet they were mostly for show. After his feasts there was much boisterous mirth and merriment, but more dignified and harmless, compared with the gross outrages of the royal banquets of James, or the festivals of the cavaliers in the time of his unfortunate son. The city of London gave him and Fairfax a feast, which was all of a substantial character, suited to military appetites; no healths were drank, and the only music was trumpets and kettle-drums.† In the year 1661 there was a gathering of marquises, lords, knights, and squires, which took place at Newcastle, to celebrate an anniversary; when, on account of the number of the guests, each was required to provide or bring his own dish of meat this created competition. Sir George Goring's dish was received with most eclat: it consisted of four brawny pigs, piping hot, bitted and harnessed with cables of sausages, all tied to a monstrous pudding-bag. Among other articles of cookery, they cooked snails, which were stewed or fried in a variety of ways, with oil, spices, wine, vinegar, and eggs; and the legs of frogs were dressed a la fricassee.§ Those who may be curious to know the recipes for cooking * Court and kitchen of Mrs. Joan Cromwell. Lodge's Illustrations. † Whitelock. § May. fish, will find several varieties in the kind-hearted Isaac Walton's book on angling. As none of them are so good as those now in use, I have not thought proper to copy any of them. Pennant says: "The shad, if stuffed with pot majoram, and dressed in that manner, will very nearly intoxicate the eater." In former days fennel was always boiled with fish: the common dock was boiled with meat; they had an opinion it made it boil sooner, and it was considered a wholesome pot herb. The gathering of samphire, which was used as a pickle, was pursued as a "dreadful trade."* "The rolls of the Temples " are kept in each; it is called the calves' head roll; wherein every bencher, barrister, and student is taxed yearly at so much to the cook and other officers of the house, in consideration of a dinner of calves' head provided in Easter term." I will give a method of making a herring pie, from a fashionable cookery book of the time. "Take salt herrings, being well watered, wash them between your hands, and you shall loosen the fish from the skin; take off the skin whole; then have a pound of almonde paste ready, mince the herrings, and stamp them with the almonde paste, two of the roes, five or six dates, some grated manchet, sugar, sack, rose water, and saffron; make the composition somewhat stiff, and fill the skins; put butter in the bottom of your pie, lay on the herrings, and on them dates, gooseberries, currants, barberries, and butter; close it up and bake it; being baked, liquify it with butter, vinegar, and sugar." Lord Bacon recommends, in eating chewets, which are minced meats, "instead of butter or fat, it were good to moisten them partly with creame, or almonde or pistachio milke, or barley or maize creame." Such is a small sample of that celebrated noble as a gourmand. Tusser in the following verse describes their general feed: "Beef, mutton, and porke, shred pies of the best, They had in general a three course dinner; the second was always game when in season; the third was confectionary, of which they were very fond, and their taste displayed itself here in the articles representing the heathen mythology, castles, or wind-mills; so their teeth were daily exercised in some species of bloodless knight-errantry. Their dessert usually included a March pine, (a delicate sort of biscuit,) and a cake composed of * See Shakspeare's King Lear. |