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.

Lampretae. Muraenae.

[ L] Lampreys and Lamprons, differ in bigness only and in goodness; they are both a very sweet and nourishing meat, encreasing much lust through superfluous nou∣rishment; were they as wholesome as sweet, I would not much discommend Lucius Mutaena and the No∣bles of England for so much coveting after them: but how ill they are even for strong stomachs, and how easily a man may surfet on them; not onely the death of King Henry the first, but also of many brave men and Captains may sufficiently demonstrate. Pliny avouch∣eth

that they engender with the land Snake: but sith they engender and have eggs at all times of the year, I see no reason for it. Aristotle saith, that another long fish like a Lamprey called Myrus is the Sire; which Li∣cinius Macer oppugneth, affirming constantly that he hath found Lampreys upon the land engendring with Serpents, and that Fisher-men counterfetting the Ser∣pents hiss, can call them out of the water and take them at pleasure. They are best (if ever good) in March and April; for then are they so fat, that they have in a man∣ner no back bone at all: towards Summer they wax harder, and then have they a manifest bone, but their flesh is consumed: Seeth or bake them thoroughly, for otherwise they are of hard and very dangerous digestion. Old men, gowty men, and aguish persons, and whosoe∣ver is troubled in the sinews or sinewy parts, should shun the eating of them no less, then as if they were Serpents indeed. The Italians dress them after this sort; first they beat them on the tail with a wand (where their life is thought to lye) till they be almost dead, then they gagg their mouth with a whole Nutmeg, and stop every oilet-hole with a clove, afterwards they cast them into oil and malmsie boiling together, casting in after them some crumbs of bread, a few almonds blancht and minc∣ed; whereby their malignity is corrected and their flesh bettered.

Cajus Hercius was the first that ever hem'd them in ponds, where they multiplied and prospered in such sort, that at Caesar the Dictators triumphall suppers, he gave him six thousand Lampreys for each supper; he fed them with the liver, and blood of beasts: but Vidius Pollio (a Roman Knight, and one of Augustus minions) fed his Lampreys with his slaves carcasses; not because beasts were not sufficient to feed them, but that he took a plea∣sure

to see a thousand Lampreys sucking altogether like horse-leeches upon one man.

Concerning our English preparation of them, a cer∣tain friend of mine gave me this Receit of bakeing and dressing Lampreys; namely first to pouder them (after parboiling) with salt, time, origanum, then either to broil them as Spitchcocks, or to bake them with wine▪ pep∣per, nutmegs, mace, cloves, ginger and good store of butter. The little ones called Lamprons are best broild, but the great ones called Lampreys are best baked. Of all our English Lampreys, the Severn-dweller is most worthily commended, for it is whiter, purer, sweeter, and fatter, and of less malignity then any other.

Notes

• Poly. Virgil. lib. 11. hist.
• Lib 9. cap. 2••. Plin. l. 32 ca 2.
• Plin. l. 32. ca. 2.
• Plin. l. 9. ca. 55
• Plin. l. 9. c. 23▪