The accomplisht cook, or The art and mystery of cookery.: Wherein the whole art is revealed in a more easie and perfect method, then hath been publisht in any language. Expert and ready wayes for the dressing of all sorts of flesh, fowl, and fish; the raising of pastes; the best directions for all manner of kickshaws, and the most poinant sauces; with the tearms of carving and sewing. An exact account of all dishes for the season; with other a la mode curiosities. Together with the lively illustrations of such necessary figures as are referred to practice. / Approved by the fifty years experience and industry of Robert May, in his attendance on several persons of honour.

Triumphs and Trophies in Cookery, to be used at Festival Times, as Twelfth Day, &c.

MAke the likeness of a Ship in pasteboard, with flags and streamers, the guns belonging to it of Kickses, binde them about with pack thred, and cover them with course paste proportionable to the fashion of a Cannon with Carriages, lay them in places convenient, as you see them in Ships of War, with such holes and trains of powder that they may all take fire; place your Ship firm in a great Charger; then make a salt round about it, and stick therein egg-shells full of sweet water; you may by a great pin take out all the meat out of the egg by blowing, and then fill it with the rose-water. Then in another Charger have the proportion of a Stag made of course paste, with a broad arrow in the side of him, and his body filled up with claret wine. In another Charger at the end of the Stag have the proportion of a Castle with Battlements, Percullices, Gates, and Draw-Bridges made of pasteboard, the Guns of Kickses, and co∣vered with course paste as the former; place it at a distance from the Ship to fire at each other. The Stag being plac't betwixt them with Egg-shells full of sweet water (as be∣fore) placed in salt. At each side of the Charger wherein is the Stag, place a Pie made of course paste, in one of which let there be some live Frogs, in the other live Birds; make these pies of course paste filled with bran, and yel∣lowed over with saffron or yolks of eggs, gild them over

in spots, as also the Stag, the Ship, and Castle; bake them, and ••••ace them with gilt Bay leaves on the Turrets and Tunnels of the Castle and Pies; being baked, make a hole in the bottom of your pies, take out the bran, put in your Frogs and Birds, and close up the holes with the same course paste; then cut the lids neatly up, to be taken off by the Tunnels: being all placed in order upon the Table, before you fire the trains of powder, order it so that some of the Ladies may be perswaded to pluck the Arrow out of the Stag, then will the Claret wine follow as blood run∣ning out of a wound. This being done with admiration to the beholders, after some short pawse, fire the train of the Castle, that the pieces all of one side may go off; then fire the trains of one side of the Ship as in a Battle; next turn the Chargers, and by degrees fire the trains of each other side as before. This done to sweeten the stinck of the pow∣der, the Ladies take the egg shells full of sweet waters and throw them at each other. All dangers being seemed over, by this time you may suppose they will desire to see what is in the pies; where lifting first the lid off one pie, out skips some Frogs, which makes the Ladies to skip and shreek; next after the other pie, whence comes out the Birds; who by a natural instinct flying at the light, will put out the candles: so that what with the flying Birds and skipping Frogs, the one above, the other beneath, will cause much delight and pleasure to the whole compa∣ny: at length the candles are lighted, and a Banquet brought in, the musick sounds, and every one with much delight and content rehearses their actions in the former passages. These were formerly the delights of the Nobili∣ty, before good House-keeping had left England, and the Sword really acted that which was onely counterfeited in such honest and laudable Exercises as these.