MAIGRES. 93 



The flesh of such specimens as have from time 

 to time found their way to our markets has been 

 considered good, though rather dry. In the Me- 

 diterranean, however, it has been very highly es- 

 teemed, from the earliest times, and bears the title 

 of King's JisJi, from its reputed excellence. " It 

 appears always to have been in great request with 

 epicures ; and as, on account of its large size, it 

 was always sold in pieces, the fishermen of Rome 

 were in the habit of presenting the head, which 

 was considered the finest part, as a sort of tri- 

 bute, to the three local magistrates who acted for 

 the time as conservators of the city." 



A curious story is told of the travels and adven- 

 tures of a Maigre's head that was presented to the 

 magistrates in the pontificate of Sextus X. The 

 conservators offered it as an acceptable present to 

 the Pope's nephew ; by whom it was sent to one 

 of the Cardinals ; the latter sent it as a propitia- 

 tory offering to a banker to whom he was deeply 

 in debt; and the banker presented it to his mis- 

 tress. The interest of the story rests chiefly on 

 the ingenuity of a dinner-hunter, who contrives 

 to trace the savoury dish through all its migra- 

 tions, and succeeds at length in obtaining an in- 

 vitation to partake of the dainty. 



The two hard bones that are lodged in the sides 

 of the head, commonly known as the ear-stones, 

 have been supposed by the vulgar, and by the 

 scientific in former times, to possess . medicinal 

 powers. They were called colic-stones ; and their 

 virtues as curative of this disorder were supposed 

 to be exercised by being worn round the neck, 

 usually mounted in gold. But then it was indis- 

 pensable that they should have been received as 



