Page:Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management.djvu/659

Rh frequently compares men to sheep, as in King Henry VI., when Gloster rudely drives the lieutenant from the side of the monarch, the hapless King thus touchingly speaks of his helplessness:—

In the Two Gentlemen of Verona we meet with the following humorous comparison:—

"The sheep for fodder follow the shepherd, the shepherd for food follows not the sheep;

Thou for wages followest thy master, thy master for wages followest not thee; therefore thou art a sheep.

Such another proof will make me cry baa.""

Burn's Elegy on Poor Mailie, his only "pet yowe," is familiar to every one:—

The leg, neck and breast are the parts usually selected for boiling. When intended for this purpose, the meat should not be allowed to hang many days, for the least taint spoils the flavour of boiled mutton. Too often the natural flavour of a boiled joint is overpowered by the flavour of the vegetables with which it is cooked. To avoid this, only the quantity sufficient to impart a slight flavour should be cooked in the liquor, and the remainder boiled separately. The flavour of the meat is thus preserved, and the vegetables are a better colour when cooked more quickly than is possible if their rate of cooking is adapted to the meat. The side of the joint intended to be dished upwards should be put downwards in the boiling-pot, for however gentle the ebullition of the water may be, its action somewhat spoils the upper surface of the meat. Moreover, any scum that is not removed during the process of cooking is apt to fall on the upper surface of the meat, and impair its appearance. For particulars as to time required etc., see "Notes on Boiling," p. 429.