The babees book, Aristotle's A B C, Urbanitatis, Stans puer ad mensam, The lvtille childrenes lvtil boke, The bokes of nurture of Hugh Rhodes and John Russell, Wynkyn de Worde's Boke of keruynge, The booke of demeanor, The boke of curtasye, Seager's Schoole of vertue, &c. &c. with some French and latin poems on like subjects, and some forewords on education in early England. Ed. by Frederick J. Furnivall ...

Kervyng of fische.

Now, good son, of kervynge of fysche y wot y must þe leere: To peson or frumenty take þe tayle of þe bevere,

or ȝiff ye haue salt purpose / ȝele / torrentille, deynteithus fulle dere, Line 548 ye must do afture þe forme of frumenty, as y said while ere. Baken herynge, dressid & diȝt with white sugure; þe white herynge by þe bak a brode ye splat hym sure, bothe roughe & boonus / voyded / þen may youre lorde endure Line 552 to ete merily with mustard þat tyme to his plesure. Of alle maner salt fische, looke ye pare awey the felle, Salt samoun / Congur, grone fische / boþe lynge & myllewelle, & on youre soueraynes trencheur ley hit, as y yow telle. Line 556 þe sawce þer-to, good mustard, alway accordethe welle.

Saltfysche, stokfische / merlynge / makerelle, but|tur ye may with swete buttur of Claynos or els of hakenay, þe boonus, skynnes / & fynnes, furst y-fette a-way, Line 560 þen sett youre dische þere as youre souereyn may tast & assay. Pike, to youre souereyn y wold þat it be layd, þe wombe is best, as y haue herd it saide, Fysche & skyn to-gedir be hit convaied Line 564 with pike sawce y-noughe þer-to / & hit shalle not be denayd. The salt lamprey, goben hit a slout .vij. pecis y assigne; þan pike owt þe boonus nyȝe þe bak spyne,

and ley hit on your lordes trenchere wheþer he sowpe or dyne, Line 568 & þat ye haue ssoddyn ynons to meddille with galantyne. Off playce, looke ye put a-way þe watur clene, afftur þat þe fynnes also, þat þey be not sene; Crosse hym þen with your knyffe þat is so kene; Line 572 wyne or ale / powder þer-to, youre souerayn welle to queme. Gurnard / roche / breme / chevyn / base / melet / in her kervynge, Perche / rooche / darce / Makerelle, & whitynge, Codde / haddok / by þe bak / splat þem in þe dische liynge, Line 576 pike owt þe boonus, clense þe refett in þe bely bydynge; Soolus / Carpe / Breme de mere, & trowt, [folio 179b]

þey must be takyn of as þey in þe dische lowt, bely & bak / by gobyn þe boon to pike owt, Line 580 so serve ye lordes trenchere, looke ye welle abowt. Whale / Swerdfysche / purpose / dorray / rosted wele, Bret / samon / Congur / sturgeoun / turbut, & ȝele, þornebak / thurle polle / hound fysch / halybut, to hym þat hathe heele, Line 584 alle þese / cut in þe dische as youre lord etethe at meele. Tenche in Iely or in Sawce / loke þere ye kut hit so, and on youre lordes trenchere se þat it be do. Elis & lampurnes rosted / where þat euer ye go, Line 588

Line 588 Cast vinegre & powder þeron / furst fette þe bonus þem fro. Crabbe is a slutt / to kerve / & a wrawd wight; breke euery Clawe / a sondur / for þat is his ryght: In þe brode shelle putt youre stuff / but furst haue a sight Line 592 þat it be clene from skyn / & senow / or ye begyn to dight. And what ye haue piked / þe stuff owt of euery shelle with þe poynt of youre knyff, loke ye temper hit welle, put vinegre / þerto, verdjus, or ayselle, Line 596 Cast þer-on powdur, the bettur it wille smelle. Send þe Crabbe to þe kychyn / þere for to hete, agayn hit facche to þy souerayne sittynge at mete; breke þe clawes of þe crabbe / þe smalle & þe grete, Line 600 In a disch þem ye lay / if hit like your souer|ayne to ete. Crevise / þus wise ye must them dight: Departe the crevise a-sondire euyn to youre sight, Slytt þe bely of the hyndur part / & so do ye right, Line 604 and alle hoole take owt þe fische, like as y yow behight.

Pare awey þe red skyn for dyuers cawse & dowt, and make clene þe place also / þat ye calle his gowt, hit lies in þe myddes of þe bak / looke ye pike it owt; Line 608 areise hit by þe þyknes of a grote / þe fische rownd abowt. put it in a dische leese by lees / & þat ye not forgete to put vinegre to þe same / so it towche not þe mete; breke þe gret clawes youre self / ye nede no cooke to trete, Line 612 Set þem on þe table / ye may / with-owt any maner heete. The bak of þe Crevise, þus he must be sted: array hym as ye dothe / þe crabbe, if þat any be had, and boþe endes of þe shelle / Stoppe them fast with bred, Line 616 & serue / youre souereyn þer with / as he likethe to be fedd. Of Crevis dewe douȝ Cut his bely a-way, [folio 180a] þe fische in A dische clenly þat ye lay with vineger & powdur þer vppon, þus is vsed ay, Line 620 þan youre souerayne / whan hym semethe, sadly he may assay.

The Iolle of þe salt sturgeoun / thyn / take hede ye slytt, & rownd about þe dische dresse ye musten hit. Þe whelke / looke þat þe hed / and tayle awey be kytt, Line 624 his pyntill & gutt / almond & mantille, awey þer fro ye pitt; Then kut ye þe whelk asondur, even pecis two, and ley þe pecis þerof / vppon youre sturgeoun so, rownd all abowt þe disch / while þat hit wille go; Line 628 put vinegre þer-vppon / þe bettur þan wille hit do. Fresche lamprey bake / þus it must be dight: Open þe pastey lid, þer-in to haue a sight, Take þen white bred þyn y-kut & liȝt, Line 632 lay hit in a chargere / dische, or plater, ryght; with a spone þen take owt þe gentille galantyne, In þe dische, on þe bred / ley hit, lemman myne, þen take powdur of Synamome, & temper hit with red wyne: Line 636

Line 636 þe same wold plese a pore man / y suppose, welle & fyne. Mynse ye þe gobyns as thyn as a grote, þan lay þem vppon youre galantyne stondynge on a chaffire hoote: þus must ye diȝt a lamprey owt of his coffyn cote, Line 640 and so may youre souerayne ete merily be noote. White herynge in a dische, if hit be seaward & fresshe, your souereyn to ete in seesoun of yere / þer|aftur he wille Asche. looke he be white by þe boon / þe roughe white & nesche; Line 644 with salt & wyne serue ye hym þe same / boldly, & not to basshe. Shrympes welle pyked / þe scales awey ye cast, Round abowt a sawcer / ley ye þem in hast; þe vinegre in þe same sawcer, þat youre lord may attast, Line 648 þan with þe said fische / he may fede hym / & of þem make no wast."

"NOw, fadir, feire falle ye / & crist yow haue in cure, For of þe nurture of kervynge y suppose þat y be sure, but yet a-nodur office þer is / saue y dar not endure [folio 180b] Line 652 to frayne yow any further / for feere of displesure: For to be a sewere y wold y hed þe connynge, þan durst y do my devoire / with any worship|fulle to be wonnynge; sen þat y know þe course / & þe craft of kervynge, Line 656 y wold se þe siȝt of a Sewere / what wey he / shewethe in seruynge."

Notes

• For the fish in the Poem mentioned by Yarrell, and for refer|ences to him, see the list at the end of this Boke of Nurture.
• Recipes for "Grene Pesen" are in H. Ord. p. 426-7, p. 470; and Porre of Pesen, &c. p. 444.
• Topsell in his Fourfooted Beasts, ed. Rowland, 1658, p. 36, says of Beavers, "There hath been taken of them whose tails have weighed four pound weight, and they are accounted a very delicate dish, for being dressed they eat like Barbles: they are used by the Lotharingians and Savoyans [says Bellonius] for meat allowed to be eaten on fish-dayes, although the body that beareth them be flesh and unclean for food. The manner of their dressing is, first roasting, and afterward seething in an open pot, that so the evill vapour may go away, and some in pottage made with Saffron; other with Ginger, and many with Brine; it is certain that the tail and forefeet taste very sweet, from whence came the Proverbe, That sweet is that fish, which is not fish at all."
• See the recipe for "Furmente with Purpeys," II. Ord. p. 442.
• I suppose this to be Seal. If it is Eel, see recipes for "Eles in Surre, Browet, Gravê, Brasyle," in H. Ord. p. 467-8.
• Wynkyn de Worde has 'a salte purpos or sele turrentyne.' If this is right, torrentille must apply to ȝele, and be a species of seal: if not, it must be allied to the Trout or Torrentyne, l. 835.
• Congur in Pyole, H. Ord. p. 469. 'I must needs agree with Diocles, who being asked, whether were the better fish, a Pike or a Conger: That (said he) sodden, and this broild; shewing us thereby, that all flaggy, slimy and moist fish (as Eeles, Congers, Lampreys, Oisters, Cockles, Mustles, and Scallopes) are best broild, rosted or bakt; but all other fish of a firm substance and drier con|stitution is rather to be sodden.' Muffett, p. 145.
• So MS., but grone may mean green, see l. 851 and note to it. If not? for Fr. gronan, a gurnard. The Scotch crowner is a species of gurnard.
• Lynge, fysshe, Colin, Palsgrave; but Colin, a Sea-cob, or Gull. Cotgrave. See Promptorium, p. 296.
• Fr. Merlus ou Merluz, A Mellwell, or Keeling, a kind of small Cod whereof Stockfish is made. Cotgrave. And see Prompt. Parv. p. 348, note 4. "Cod-fish is a great Sea-whiting, called also a Keel|ing or Melwel." Bennett's Muffett on Food, p. 148.
• Cogan says of stockfish, "Concerning which fish I will say no more than Erasmus hath written in his Colloquio. There is a kind of fishe, which is called in English Stockfish: it nourisheth no more than a stock. Yet I haue eaten of a pie made onely with Stockefishe, whiche hath been verie good, but the goodnesse was not so much in the fishe as in the cookerie, which may make that sauorie, which of it selfe is vnsavourie .. it is sayd a good Cooke can make you good meate of a whetstone... Therfore a good Cooke is a good iewell, and to be much made of." "Stockfish whilst it is unbeaten is called Buckhorne, because it is so tough; when it is beaten upon the stock, it is termed stockfish." Muffett. Lord Percy (A.D. 1512) was to have "cxl Stok fisch for the expensys of my house for an hole Yere, after ij.d. obol. the pece," p. 7, and "Dccecxlij Salt fisch .. after iiij the pece," besides 9 barrels of white and 10 cades of red herring, 5 cades of Sprats (sprootis), 400 score salt salmon, 3 firkins of salt sturgeon and 5 cags of salt eels.
• Fr. Merlan, a Whiting, a Merling. Cot. 'The best Whitings are taken in Tweede, called Merlings, of like shape and vertue with ours, but far bigger.' Muffett, p. 174.
• MS. may be Cleynes.? what place can it be; Clayness, Clay|nose? Claybury is near Woodford in Essex.
• A recipe for Pykes in Brasey is in H. Ord. p. 451. The head of a Carp, the tail of a Pike, and the Belly of a Bream are most esteemed for their tenderness, shortness, and well rellishing. Muffett, p. 177.
• Cut it in gobets or lumps a-slope. "Aslet or a-slowte (asloppe, a slope), Oblique." P. Parv. But slout may be slot, bolt of a door, and so aslout = in long strips.
• Onions make a man stink and wink. Berthelson, 1754. 'The Onion, though it be the Countrey mans meat, is better to vse than to tast: for he that eateth euerie day tender Onions with Honey to his breakfast, shall liue the more healthfull, so that they be not too new.' Maison Rustique, p. 178, ed. 1616.
• Recipes for this sauce are in Liber C. p. 30, and H. Ord. p. 441: powdered crusts, galingale, ginger, and salt, steeped in vine|gar and strained. See note to l. 634 below.
• See "Plays in Cene," that is, Ceue, chives, or eschalots. H. Ord. p. 452.
• Of all sea-fish Rochets and Gurnards are to be preferred; for their flesh is firm, and their substance purest of all other. Next unto them Plaise and Soles are to be numbered, being eaten in time; for if either of them be once stale, there is no flesh more carrion-like, nor more troublesome to the belly of man. Mouffet, p. 164.
• Roches or Loches in Egurdouce, H. Ord. p. 469.
• Or dacce.
• Rivet, roe of a fish. Halliwell. Dan. ravn, rogn (rowne of Pr. Parv.) under which Molbech refers to AS. hræfe (raven, Bosworth) as meaning roe or spawn. G. P. Marsh.
• See "Soles in Cyne," that is, Cyue, H. Ord. p. 452.
• Black Sea Bream, or Old Wife. Cantharus griseus. Atkinson. "Abramides Marinæ. Breams of the Sea be a white and solid substance, good juice, most easie digestion, and good nourishment." Muffett, p. 148.
• gobbets, pieces, see l. 638.
• Fr. Dorée: f. The Doree, or Saint Peters fish; also (though not so properly) the Goldfish or Goldenie. Cotgrave.
• Brett, § xxi. He beareth Azure a Birt (or Burt or Berte) proper by the name of Brit. . . It is by the Germans termed a Brett-fish or Brett-cock. Randle Holme.
• Rec. for Congur in Sause, H. Ord. p. 401; in Pyole, p. 469.
• This must be Randle Holme's "Dog fish or Sea Dog Fish. It is by the Dutch termed a Flackhund, and a Hundfisch: the Skin is hard and redish, beset with hard and sharp scales; sharp and rough and black, the Belly is more white and softer. Bk II. Ch. XIV. No. lv, p. 343-4. For names of Fish the whole chapter should be consulted, p. 321-345.
• 'His flesh is stopping, slimy, viscous, & very unwholesome; and (as Alexander Benedictus writeth) of a most unclean and damnable nourishment . . they engender palsies, stop the lungs, putrifie in the stomach, and bring a man that much eats them to infinite diseases . . they are worst being fried, best being kept in gelly, made strong of wine and spices.' Muffett, p. 189.
• Recipes for Tenches in grave, L. C. C. p. 25; in Cylk (wine, &c.), H. Ord. p. 470; in Bresyle (boiled with spices, &c.), p. 468.
• Lamprons in Galentyn, H. Ord. p. 449. "Lampreys and Lamprons differ in bigness only and in goodness; they are both a very sweet and nourishing meat. . . The little ones called Lamprons are best broild, but the great ones called Lampreys are best baked." Muffett, p. 181-3. See l. 630-40 of this poem.
• Wraw, froward, ongoodly. Perversus . . exasperans. Pr. Parv.
• for whan, when.
• A kind of vinegar; A.S. eisile, vinegar; given to Christ on the Cross.
• Escrevisse: f. A Creuice, or Crayfish [see l. 618]; (By some Authors, but not so properly, the Crab-fish is also tearmed so.) Escrevisse de mer. A Lobster; or, (more properly) a Sea-Creuice. Cotgrave. A Crevice, or a Crefish, or as some write it, a Crevis Fish, are in all respects the same in form, and are a Species of the Lobster, but of a lesser size, and the head is set more into the body of the Crevice than in the Lobster. Some call this a Gan|well. R. Holme, p. 338, col. 1, § xxx.
• No doubt the intestinal tract, running along the middle of the body and tail. Dr Günther. Of Crevisses and Shrimps, Muffett says, p. 177, they "give also a kind of exercise for such as be weak: for head and brest must first be divided from their bodies; then each of them must be dis scaled, and clean picked with much pidling; then the long gut lying along the back of the Crevisse is to be voided."
• slice by slice.
• The fresh-water crayfish is beautiful eating, Dr Günther says.
• Iolle of a fysshe, teste. Palsgrave. Ioll, as of salmon, &c., caput. Gouldm. in Promptorium, p. 264.
• For to make a potage of welkes, Liber Cure, p. 17. "Per|winkles or Whelks, are nothing but sea-snails, feeding upon the finest mud of the shore and the best weeds." Muffett, p. 164.
• Pintle generally means the penis; but Dr Günther says the whelk has no visible organs of generation, though it has a project|ing tube by which it takes in water, and the function of this might have been misunderstood. Dr G. could suggest nothing for almond, but on looking at the drawing of the male Whelk (Buccinum nu|datum) creeping, in the Penny Cyclopædia, v. 9, p. 454, col. 2 (art. Entomostomata), it is quite clear that the almond must mean the animal's horny, oval operculum on its hinder part. 'Most spiral shells have an operculum, or lid, with which to close the aperture when they withdraw for shelter. It is developed on a particular lobe at the posterior part of the foot, and consists of horny layers, sometimes hardened with shelly matter.' Woodward's Mollusca, p. 47.
• That part of the integument of mollusca which contains the viscera and secretes the shell, is termed the mantle. Woodward.
• Recipe "For lamprays baken," in Liber Cure, p. 38.
• A sauce made of crumbs, galingale, ginger, salt, and vinegar. See the Recipe in Liber Cure, p. 30.
• See the duties and allowances of "A Sewar for the Kynge," Edw. IV., in Household Ordinances, pp. 36-7; Henry VII., p. 118. King Edmund risked his life for his assewer, p. 36.