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BEfore your bee resolued if this, I must declare vnto you the sorts of flesh, and the natures of it. There be two sorts of flesh, the one foure-footed, and the other that of Fowle. Among those that be foure-footed, some are young, some are of middle age, others are old: the young are moyst, and doe commonly cause excrements and loosenes in the belly, old flesh is dry, of small nourishment and of hard
digestion, therefore I take that flesh to be best which is of middle age, if not to the tast, yet at the least to nourish soundly and profitably, according to the French Prouerbe: Hee that loues young flesh and old fish loues contrary to reason.
Qui veut ieune chair et vi eux poisson, Se troue repugner a raison.
Certainely that of the male, doth far excell the flesh of the female, as for example: the Oxe flesh is better then the Cowes flesh: a fat Wether is better then a fat Ewe, but this is to be vnderstood of those males which are gelt: for I cannot deny but Bull beefe and Ramme mutton is far worse then the flesh of the Cow and the Ewe, and to them which ob∣serue dyet, I must needs say that all flesh what∣soeuer, be it Beefe, Mutton or other that is bred on dry places or mountainous, where ther is any reasonable pasture, is alwaies better and more wholsome, then that which is bred in valleyes, or on low and marshie grounds, where there grow bulrushes, and other weeds and hearbs, cold moist, and of little substance: To conclude this flesh of foure-footed beasts, I haue found that Mutton, Beefe Kid, Lambe,
Veale, Pigges and Rabbets, are meats easie to be digested, and doe engender good bloud; whereas on the contrary, I finde that Martle∣masse Beefe, Bacon & Venison, together with the kidneyes, liuers and the entrals of beasts, doe breede raw humours in the stomack, and fl••xes. In like manner, fat meate is fulsome and takes away a mans stomack.
Among fowle we count the Capon, the yong Pigeon, the Partridge, the Woodcocke, the Peacocke, and the Turkie cocke, to be meates of an excellent temperature, and fit to conti∣nue the body in health: and contrariwise that Hares, Duckes, Geese (young Goselings one∣ly excepted) and Swans doe dispose the body to Melancholy.