THE PHARISEE OF THE JUNGLE 129 



its feathers. This ingredient of the menu must have 

 afforded the Roman cooks grand opportunities of in- 

 dulging in a little sharp practice. I suspect that the 

 same feathers used to do service a great many times and 

 often ornamented dishes composed of game humbler 

 than the peacock. 



We are told that one Marcus Aufidius Lurco dis- 

 covered how to fatten peafowl, and, in quite a short 

 time, earned 60,000 sesterces at this occupation. In the 

 Middle Ages peacock pie was a dish served up at every 

 grand feast. The pie took the shape of the bird. The 

 head and train protruded from the crust, and the beak 

 was gilded. 



Mediaeval knights used to swear by the peacock. 

 Later on men took to swearing by peacock pie. " By 

 cock and pie, sir," said Justice Shallow, " you shall not 

 go away to-night." 



A mistaken, but widespread fancy attributes to pea- 

 fowl very ungainly legs, of which the bird is supposed 

 to be heartily ashamed. Solomon appears to have 

 inaugurated the idea, and the rest of the world ac- 

 cepted it. 



" The peacock," said a mediaeval writer, " is a bird 

 well known and much admired for his daintie coloured 

 feathers, which when he spreads them against the sunne, 

 have a curious lustre, and look like gemmes. Howbeit 

 his black feet make him ashamed of his tail. And, 

 therefore, when he seeth them (as angrie with nature 

 or grieved for that deformitie) he hangeth down his 

 starrie plumes, and walketh slowly in a discontented fit of 

 solitary sadnesse, like one possest with dull melancholie." 



K 



