Healths improvement: or, Rules comprizing and discovering the nature, method, and manner of preparing all sorts of food used in this nation. Written by that ever famous Thomas Muffett, Doctor in Physick: corrected and enlarged by Christopher Bennet, Doctor in Physick, and fellow of the Colledg of Physitians in London.

Lambs Flesh.

Galen, Halyabbas, and Isaac, condemn Lambs flesh for an over phlegmatick and moist meat: breeding ill nourishment, and through excessive watrishness slipping out of the stomach before it be half concocted, in cold stomacks it turns all to slime, in a hot stomack it corrupts into choler, in aged persons, it turns to froth and flegm, in a young person and temperate, it turns to no whole∣some nourishment; because it is of so flashy and moist a nature: all which I will confess to be true in sucking Lambs who the nearer they are killed to their birth day the worse they are: but when they are once weaned, and have fed half a year upon short and tender grass, I think that of all other flesh it is simply the best, as I will prove by divine and humane reason. For as in the new Testament, the Lords Supper materially consisteth of two such things, as there cannot be any drink or meat de∣vised

more comfortable nor more strenthening to the nature of man, namely Bread and Wine: so likewise the blessed Sacrament of the old Testament, could not con∣veniently be so well expressed as in the eating of that, which was the purest, most temperate, and most nourish∣ing of all meats: and what flesh is that I pray you? Veal? Pig? or Goats flesh? or the flesh of wild beasts? or the flesh of Birds? no, but the flesh of a sound weaned Lamb, of a year old, whose flesh is neither too cold and moist, as is a sucklings; nor too dry, and hot▪ as when it hath strength to know the Ewe: but of a most temperate constitution, fittest to resemble the thing signified, who is of all other * 1.1our best nourishment. Philochorus is recorded to have made a law that the Athenians should eat no more Lambs flesh: not because they thought it too tender a meat for mens stomacks (as some foolishly have conceived) but because the people found it so wholesome, pleasant, and nourishing, that every man desired it above all meats: in such sort that had not the eating of them been restrained by a severe law, the whole race of Sheep * 1.2would have decayed amongst them. Upon the like rea∣son Valens the Emperour made a law that no Veal should * 1.3be eaten; which was counted in old time a princely meat (for alwaies it was one dish at the Kings table in Egypt, though they never had but two) howsoever through God his singular blessing it is an ordinary meat amongst us in mean households. The best way to prepare Lambs flesh is sufficient roasting; for boyling makes it too fleshy and phlegmatick, and by over-rosting the sweetness thereof is soon dried up. Yea all Mutton (contrary to the nature of Pork, Pig▪ and Veal) should rather be too raw then too much roasted; according as the French men find by experience, who slash and cut a giggot of Mut∣ton upon the spit, and with the bloody juice thereof (tem∣pered

with crums of bread and a little salt) recover weak stomacks and persons consumed. Wherefore howsoever some naturally abhor it (as my honest friend Signor Ro∣mano) and strong stomacks prove better with harder meat; yet without all question, a Lamb chosen and drest in manner aforesaid, is for most men a very temperate nourishing and wholesome meat, agreeing with all ages, times, regions and complexions. Arnoldus Freitagi∣us * 1.4in his natural history, saith that the hinder quarters of a Lamb being drawn with rosemary and garlick first steept in milk, and moderately rosted at the fire, is a meat most acceptable to the taste, and also profitable to moist stomacks, for which it is else commonly thought to be hurtful. Also he assureth, that Lambs flesh being well beaten with a cudgel before it is roasted, eateth much better and is far wholesomer: which I leave to be judg∣ed by the Cooks experience.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Athen. lib. 1. cap. 4.
• * 1.2

  Cael. lib. 28. cap. 2. A L.
• * 1.3

  Diod. lib. 1. cap. 6.
• * 1.4

  Tract. de Ver. vece.