144 A GARDEN OF HERBS 



must be very clean, not highly coloured nor yellow, but with 

 an eye rather of a pallid olive green without smell or the 

 least touch of rancid or indeed of any other sensible taste 

 or smell at all but smooth, light and pleasant upon the 

 tongue. The vinegar to be of the best wine vinegar and 

 impregnated with the infusion of clove gilliflowers, Elder 

 Roses, Rosemary, Nasturtium and thus enriched with the 

 Virtues of these Plants. The Salt to be of the brightest 

 and only enough put in to give them the grateful saline 

 acrid. The sugar to be of the best refined. The mustard 

 (a noble ingredient) to be of the best Tewkesbury or else 

 composed of the soundest and weightiest Yorkshire Seed, 

 exquisitely sifted winnow'd and free from the husks, a little 

 (not over much) dry'd by the fire, temper'd to the consistence 

 of a pap with Vinegar in which shavings of the Horse Radish 

 have been steeped. Then cutting an onion and putting 

 it into a small earthen gaily pot or some thick glass of that 

 shape pour the Mustard over it and close it very well with 

 a cork. There be who preserve the Flower and Dust of 

 the bruised seed in a well-stocked glass to temper and have 

 it fresh when they please. But what is yet by some esteemed 

 beyond all these is composed of the dry'd seeds of the Indian 

 Nasturtium reduced to Powder finely bolted, from time to 

 time made fresh as indeed all other mustard should be. 

 The seeds to be pounded in a mortar or bruised with a 

 polished cannon bullet in a large wooden Bowl or Dish or 

 which is most preferred ground in a quern provided for this 

 purpose only. The pepper whether white or black not to 

 be bruised to too small a dust. Better than ordinary Pepper 

 is the root of the Burnet saxefrage and extolled by some 

 beyond all o ther peppers and very wholesome . ' ' For ' ' st rew- 

 ings " and " aromatises," they used grated orange and lemon 

 rind or saffron (a noble cordial, but so apt to prevail above 

 everything, we little encourage it admittance into our sallet). 

 To all this they added the yolks of fresh and new-laid eggs 

 boiled only moderately hard and mashed or cut into quarters 

 to eat with the Herbs. 

 For the actual making of the salad the clearest directions 



