literature, constitutes, in our appreciation,
its principal worth. We love and cherish
it for its very sins against chrono-
logical and topographical fitness — its con-
tempt of all unities. Men transferred local
circumstances and a local colouring to their
pictures of distant countries and manners.
They argued the unknown from what they
saw under their own eyes. They portrayed
to us what, so far as the scenes and charac-
ters of their story went, was undeceivingly
false, but what on the contrary, had it not
been so, would never have been unveiled
respecting themselves and their time.
The expenditure on festive occasions seems,
from some of the entries in the “ Northumber-
land Household Book,” to present a strong
contrast to the ordinary dietary allowed to the
members of a noble and wealthy household,
especially on fish days, in the earlier Tudor era
(1512). The noontide breakfast provided
for the Percy establishment was of a very
modest character : my lord and my lady had,
for example, a loaf of bread, two manchets
(loaves of finer bread), a quart of beer
26
The Early Englishman
and one of wine, two pieces of salt fish, and
six baked herrings or a dish of sprats. My
lord Percy and Master Thomas Percy had
half a loaf of household bread, a manchet,
a pottle of beer, a dish of butter, a piece of
salt fish, and a dish of sprats or three white
herrings; and the nursery breakfast for my
lady Margaret and Master Ingram Percy
was much the same. But on flesh days
my lord and lady fared better, for they
had a loaf of bread, two manchets, a quart
of beer and the same of wine, and half a
chine of mutton or boiled beef; while the
nursery repast consisted of a manchet, a quart
of beer, and three boiled mutton breasts ; and
so on : whence it is deducible that in the Percy
family, perhaps in all other great houses, the
members and the ladies and gentlemen in
waiting partook of their earliest meal apart
in their respective chambers, and met only
at six to dine or sup.
The beer, which was aninvariable part of the
menu, was perhaps brewed from hops which,
according to Harrison elsewhere quoted, were,
after a long discontinuance, again coming into
and his Food.
27
use about this time. But it would be a light-
bodied drink which was allotted to the con-
sumption at all events of Masters Thomas and
Ingram Percy, and even of my Lady Margaret.
It is clearly not irrelevant to my object to cor-
rect the general impression that the great fami-
lies continued throughout the year to support
the strain which the system of keeping open
house must have involved. For, as Warner
has stated, there were intervals during which
the aristocracy permitted themselves to un-
bend, and shook off the trammels imposed
on them by their social rank and responsi-
bility. This was known as “ keeping secret
house,” or, in other words, my lord became
for a season incognito, and retired to one of
his remoter properties for relaxation and re-
pose. Our kings in some measure did the
same ; for they held their revels only, as a
rule, at stated times and places. William I.
is said to have kept his Easter at Winchester,
his Whitsuntide at Westminster, and his
Christmas at Gloucester. Even these antique
grandees had to work on some plan. It
could not be all mirth and jollity.
28
The Early Englishman
Page 8
Presented as published in 1886. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
literature, constitutes, in our appreciation, its principal worth. We love and cherish it for its very sins against chronological and topographical fitness — its contempt of all unities. Men transferred local circumstances and a local colouring to their pictures of distant countries and manners. They argued the unknown from what they saw under their own eyes. They portrayed to us what, so far as the scenes and characters of their story went, was undeceivingly false, but what on the contrary, had it not been so, would never have been unveiled respecting themselves and their time.
The expenditure on festive occasions seems, from some of the entries in the “ Northumberland Household Book,” to present a strong contrast to the ordinary dietary allowed to the members of a noble and wealthy household, especially on fish days, in the earlier Tudor era (1512). The noontide breakfast provided for the Percy establishment was of a very modest character : my lord and my lady had, for example, a loaf of bread, two manchets (loaves of finer bread), a quart of beer
The Early Englishman
and one of wine, two pieces of salt fish, and six baked herrings or a dish of sprats. My lord Percy and Master Thomas Percy had half a loaf of household bread, a manchet, a pottle of beer, a dish of butter, a piece of salt fish, and a dish of sprats or three white herrings; and the nursery breakfast for my lady Margaret and Master Ingram Percy was much the same. But on flesh days my lord and lady fared better, for they had a loaf of bread, two manchets, a quart of beer and the same of wine, and half a chine of mutton or boiled beef; while the nursery repast consisted of a manchet, a quart of beer, and three boiled mutton breasts ; and so on : whence it is deducible that in the Percy family, perhaps in all other great houses, the members and the ladies and gentlemen in waiting partook of their earliest meal apart in their respective chambers, and met only at six to dine or sup.
The beer, which was an invariable part of the menu, was perhaps brewed from hops which, according to Harrison elsewhere quoted, were, after a long discontinuance, again coming into
and his Food.
use about this time. But it would be a lightbodied drink which was allotted to the consumption at all events of Masters Thomas and Ingram Percy, and even of my Lady Margaret.
It is clearly not irrelevant to my object to correct the general impression that the great families continued throughout the year to support the strain which the system of keeping open house must have involved. For, as Warner has stated, there were intervals during which the aristocracy permitted themselves to unbend, and shook off the trammels imposed on them by their social rank and responsibility. This was known as “ keeping secret house,” or, in other words, my lord became for a season incognito, and retired to one of his remoter properties for relaxation and repose. Our kings in some measure did the same ; for they held their revels only, as a rule, at stated times and places. William I. is said to have kept his Easter at Winchester, his Whitsuntide at Westminster, and his Christmas at Gloucester. Even these antique grandees had to work on some plan. It could not be all mirth and jollity.
The Early Englishman