514 MEALS MEDICINAL. 
effects in me, which makes me approve the common saying 
that the invention of incense, and perfumes in Churches, so 
ancient, and so far dispersed throughout all nations, and 
religions, had a speciall regard to rejoyce, to comfort, to quicken, 
to rouze, and to purifie our senses, so that we might be the apter, 
and readier unto contemplations. And, the better to judge of 
it, I would that I had my part of the skill which some cookes 
have who can so curiously season, and temper strange odors 
with the savour, and rellish of their meats! As it was especially 
observed in the service of the King of Tunes, who in our day 
landed at Naples to meet, and enter-parley with the Emperour 
Charles the Fifth. His viands were so exquisitely farced, and 
so sumptuously seasoned with sweet odoriferous drugs, and 
aromatical spices, that it was found upon his booke of accompt, 
the dressing of one peacocke, and two fesants amounted to one 
hundred duckets; which was their ordinarie manner of cooking 
his meats. And when they were carved up, not only the dining 
chambers, but all the roomes of his Pallace, and the streets 
round about it, were replenished with an exceeding odoriferous, 
and aromaticall vapour, which continued a long time after.” 
Quite of late Dr. Forbes Watson, in Flowers and Gardens, has 
remarked when writing about the Cowslip, that “ its fine scent 
recalls the sweet breath of the cow,—an odour which breathes 
in conjunction with cows as they sit at rest in the pasture, and 
which is believed by many, perhaps with truth, to be actually 
curative of disease.” To the same effect Mrs. Catherine Crowe 
(in The Night Side of Nature, 1848) has reminded us that “ the 
disturbing effects of odours on some persons, which are quite 
innoxious to others, must have been noticed by everybody. 
Some people do actually almost die of a rose in aromatic pall. 
It has been pertinently, though coarsely observed, that “ each 
man’s own bed does not smell strong to himself, because he 1s 
accustomed to its characteristic odour. Neither does a tallow- 
chandler smell those horrible, and pernicious fumes that old 
tallow sends forth when it is melted. But let any other person 
who is not accustomed thereto be near such things, and they 
will prove highly offensive.” Statistics compiled from reports 
of inspectors of scent factories, as well as experiments made 
upon some of the lower animals, especially frogs, have proved 
of late that not only the stronger scents, but even the more 
subtle, and delicate perfumes of fragile flowers, are capable of 
