54 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
[ No. 4. 
the particular knowledge of the late Sir Wiliam 
Bishop, till they were all consum’d in the general 
Fire and Destruction of that Town.” 
S. W. S. 
Mickleham, Nov. 14. 1849. 
[We cannot insert the interesting Query which 
our correspondent has forwarded on the subject of 
the disappearance of Shakspeare’s MSS. without 
referring to the ingenious suggestion upon that 
subject so skilfully brought forward by the Rev. 
Joseph Hunter in his New Illustrations of the Life, 
Studies, and Writings of Shakspeare, vol. i. p.105.: 
— That the entire disappearance of all manu- 
script of Shakspeare, so entire that no writing of 
his remains except his name, and only one letter 
ever addressed to him, is in some way connected 
with the religious turn which his posterity took, 
in whose eyes there would be much to be lamented 
in what they must, I fear, have considered a pros- 
titution of the noble talents which had been given 
him.” ] 
FOOD OF THE PEOPLE—BILLS OF FARE IN 
1683— HUMBLE PIE. 
The food of the people must always be 
regarded as an important element in esti- 
mating the degree of civilization of a nation, 
and its position in the social scale. Mr. Ma- 
caulay, in his masterly picture of the state of 
England at the period of the accession of 
James IL., has not failed to notice this subject 
as illustrative of the condition of the working 
classes of that day. He tells us that meat, 
viewed relatively with wages, was “so dear 
that hundreds of thousands of families scarcely 
knew the taste of it...... The great majority 
of the nation lived almost entirely on rye, 
barley, and oats.” (Hist. Eng. vol.i. p. 418., 
4th ed.) 
It is not uninteresting to inquire (and 
having found, it is worth making a note of) 
what sort of fare appeared on the tables of 
the upper and middle classes,—who, unlike 
their poorer neighbours, were in a condition 
to gratify their gastronomic preferences in 
the choice and variety of their viands, — with 
the view of determining whether the extra- 
ordinary improvement which has taken place 
in the food of the labouring population has 
been equally marked in that of the wealthier 
orders. 
Pepys, who was unquesticnably a lover of 
good living, and never tired of recording his 
feastings off “brave venison pasty,” or 
“turkey pye,” has given in his Diary many 
curious notices of the most approved dishes 
of his day. The following “ Bills of fare” of 
the period referred to speak, however, directly 
to the point; they are taken from a work 
entitled, The accomplisht Lady's Delight, in 
Preserving, Physick, Beautifying, and Cook- 
ery. London, printed for B. Harris, 1683. 
“A Bill of fare for a Gentleman's House about 
Candlemas. 
“1, A Pottaze with a Hen. 2. A Chatham- 
pudding. 3. A Fricacie of Chickens. 4, A leg 
of mutton with a Sallet. Garnish your dishes 
with Barberries. 
“Second Course. 1. A chine of Mutton. 2. A 
chine of Veal. 3. Lark-pye. 4. A couple of 
Pullets, one larded. Garnished with orange slices. 
“ Third Course. 1. A dish of Woodcocks. 2. A 
couple of Rabbits. 3. A dish of Asparagus. 
4. A Westphalia Gammon. 
“ Last Course. 1. ‘Two orange tarts, one with 
herbs. 2. A Bacon Tart. 3. An apple Tart. 
4. A dish of Bon-chriteen Pears. 5. A dish of 
Pippins. 6. A dish of Pearmains, 
“ A Banquet for the same Season. 
“J. A dish of Apricots. 2. A dish of marma- 
lade of Pippins. 3. A dish of preserved Cherries. 
4. A whole red Quince. 5. A dish of dryed sweet- 
meats. 
“A Bill of Fare upon an extraordinary Occasion. 
“1. A collar of brawn. 2. A couple of Pullets 
boyled. 3. A bisk of Fish. 4. A dish of Carps. 
5. A grand boyled Meat. 6. A grand Sallet. 
7. A venison pasty. 8. A roasted Turkey. 9. A 
fat pig. 10. A powdered Goose. 11. A haunch 
of Venison roasted. 12. A Neats-tongue and 
Udder roasted. 13. A Westphalia Ham boyled. 
14. A Joll of Salmon. 15. Mince pyes. 16. A 
Surloyn of roast beef. 17. Cold baked Meats. 
18. A dish of Custards. 
“ Second Course. 1. Jellies of all sorts. 
dish of Pheasants. 3. A Pike boyled. 
oyster pye. 5. A dish of Plovers. 
larks. 7. A Joll of Sturgeon. 8. A couple of 
Lobsters. 9. A lumber pye. 10. A couple of 
Capons. 11. A dish of Partridges. 12. A fricacy 
of Fowls. 13. A dish of Wild Ducks. 14. A dish 
of eram’d chickens. 15. A dish of stewed oysters. 
16. A Marchpane. 17. A dish of Fruits. 18. An 
umble pye.” 
hood h 
4. An 
6. A dish of 
The fare suggested for “ Fish days” is no 
less various and abundant; twelve dishes are 
enumerated for the first course, and sixteen 
for the second. Looking at the character of 
these viands, some of which would not dis- 
credit the genius of a Soyer or a Mrs. Glasse, 
