"the length and fumptuoufnefs of feasts "formerly in ufe, are not totally left off "in England, notwithstanding that it pro"veth very beneficial to the physicians, "who moft abound where most excess and

mifgovernment of our bodies do appear." He adds, that claret, and other French wines, were defpifed, and strong wines only in request. The beft, he says, were to be found in monafteries: for "that the merchant would have thought "his foul would go straightway to the de"vil, if he should ferve monks with o"ther than the beft." Our forefathers relished ftrong wine, for the fame reason that their forefathers relished brandy. In Scotland, fumptuous entertainments were common at marriages, baptifms, and burials. In the reign of Charles II. a statute was thought neceffary to confine them within moderate bounds.

Of old, there was much eating, with little variety at prefent, there is great variety, with more moderation. From a household-book of the Earl of Northumberland, in the reign of Henry VIII. it appears that his family, during winter, fed moftly on falt meat, and falt fish; and

with that view there was an appointment of 160 gallons of muftard. On flesh-days, through the year, breakfast for my Lord and Lady was a loaf of bread, two manchets, a quart of beer, a quart of wine, half a chine of mutton, or a chine of beef boiled, on meagre days, a loaf of bread, two manchets, a quart of beer, a quart of wine, a dish of butter, a piece of falt fish, or a dish of buttered eggs. During lent, a loaf of bread, two manchets, a quart of beer, a quart of wine, two pieces of falt fish, fix baconed herring, four white herring, or a dish of fproits. There was as little variety in the other meals, except on feftival days. That way of living was at the time high luxury a lady's waitingwoman, at prefent, would never have done with grumbling at fuch a table. We learn from the fame book, that the Earl had but two cooks for dreffing victuals to more than two hundred domeftics. In those days, hen, chicken, capon, pigeon, plover, partridge, were reckoned fuch delicacies, as to be prohibited, except at my Lord's table (a).

But luxury is always creeping on, and

(a) Household-book above mentioned.

delicacies

Hollin

delicacies become more familiar. fhed obferves, that white meats, milk, butter, and cheese, formerly the chief food of his countrymen, were in his time degraded to be the food of the lower fort; and that the wealthy fed upon flesh and fish. By a roll of the King of Scotland's household expence, anno 1378, we find, that the art of gelding cattle was known. The roll is in Latin, and the gelt hogs are termed porcelli eunuchi. Mention is alfo made of chickens, which were not common on English tables at that time. Olive oil is alfo mentioned.

In this progress, cooks, we may believe, came to make a figure. Hollinshed obferves, that the nobility, rejecting their own cookery, employed as cooks musicalheaded Frenchmen and ftrangers, as he terms them. He says, that even merchants, when they gave a feaft, rejected butcher's meat as unworthy of their tables; having jellies of all colours, and in all figures, representing flowers, trees, beafts, fifh, fowl, and fruit. Henry Wardlaw, Archbishop of St Andrews, obferving the refinements in cookery introduced by James Firft of Scotland, who had

been

The

been eighteen years a prifoner in England, exclaimed against the abufe in a parliament held at Perth 1433 he obtained a law, reftraining fuperfluous diet; and prohibiting the ufe of baked meat to any under the degree of gentlemen, and permitting it to gentlemen on festival-days only; which baked meat, fays the bishop, was never before feen in Scotland. peasants in Sicily regale themselves with ice during fummer. They fay, that fearcity of fnow would be more grievous to them than scarcity of corn or of wine. Such progrefs has luxury made, even among the populace. People of fashion in London and in Paris, who employ their whole thoughts on luxurious living, would be surprised to be told, that they are fill deficient in that art. In order to advance luxury of the table to the acme of perfection, there ought to be a cook for every dish, as in ancient Egypt there was a phyfician for every disease.

Barbarous nations, being great eaters, are fond of large joints of meats; and love of fhow retains great joints in fashion, even after meals become more moderate : a wild boar was roafted whole for a fupVOL. II. e

per

per-dish to Anthony and Cleopatra; and ftuffed with poultry and wild-foul, it was a favourite difh at Rome, termed the Trojan boar, in allufion to the Trojan horse. The hofpitality of the Anglo-Saxons was fometimes exerted in roasting an ox whole. Great joints are left off gradually, as people become more and more delicate in eating. In France, great joints are lefs in ufe than formerly; and in England, the enormous furloin, formerly the pride of the nation, is now in polite families banished to the fide-board. In China, where manners are carried to a high degree of refinement, dishes are compofed entirely of minced meat *.

In early times, people were no less plain

*The fize of an animal may be abridged by spare diet; but its ftrength and vigour are not abridged in proportion. Our highlanders live very poorly; and yet are a hardy race. The horfes bred in that mountainous country are of a diminutive fize; but no other horses can bear so much fatigue. Camels in the defarts of Arabia are trained to long abftinence. They are loaded more and more as they grow up; and their food is diminished in proportion. Plenty of fucculent food raises an animal to its greateft fize; but its folids are foft and flexible in proportion to its fize.