Page:A History of Domestic Manners and Sentiments in England During the Middle Ages.djvu/375

 and Sentiments. o f r Flampoyntes have been already explained. Pears in fyrup were merely boiled in wine, and feafoned with lugar and fpices. In thefe bills of fare, our readers who believe in the prevalence of "old Engliih roafl beef," will find that belief Angularly diffipated, for our anceftors feem to have indulged in all forts of elaborately made diflies, in which immenfe quantities of fpices were employed. The number of receipts in thefe early cookery-books is wonderfully great, and it is evident that people fought variety almoft above all other things. Among the Sloane manufcripts in the library of the Britifli Mufeum, there is a very complete cookery-book (MS. No. 1201) belonging to the latter part of the fifteenth century, which gives feven bills of tare of feven dinners, each to difl:er entirely in the diflies compofing it from the other, with the objeft, of courfe, of giving a different dinner every day during feven confecutive days. In the foregoing bills of fare, we have feen that on flelh-days no filli was introduced on the table, but fifli is introduced along with flefli in the feven dinners juft alluded to, which are, moreover, curious for the number of articles, chiefly birds, introduced in them, which we are not now accuftomed to eat. The firft of thefe bills of fare, which are all limited to two courfes, runs as follows : — Firft Courfe, of Eleven DiJJies. Nowmbles (umb/es) of an harte. Vyand ryalle. The syde of an hert rostede. Swanne with chaudeioun. Fesaunt rostede. Bytore {bittern) rostede. Pyke, and grete gurnarde. Haggesse of Alniayne. Blaiinche custade. A soteltc, a blake bore enaimede with golde. Second Courfe, of Eleven Diflies. Geld. Cream of almonds. Kynd kydde. Fillets of an herte endored. Squyrelle rost. Chykons {chkkem) ylarded. Partriche and lark rost. Perche and porpoys rost. Frytours Lumbard. Payne pufFe {puff-bread). A sotelte, a castelle of sylver with fanes {-vanes or fags) of gold. It appears that at this time it was confidered more abfolutely necefl^ary than at an earlier period, that each courfe at table fhould be accompanied with a fubtilty, or ornamental device in paftry, reprefenting groups of various