OF A SALMON. 81 



ation, and not rather an estimate of the offence 

 done to Eoyalty, it would prove that the Dee 

 salmon were in those days not only most valuable 

 as fish, hut out of all measure more valuable than 

 other salmon. In the " Kotulus Famigliee/' or 

 King's Household Book for the 1 8th year of the 

 same reign, we find the following entries : 



u Bought of Eoger de Freincourt, for the Lady de 

 Vesci, eight salmon pasties, 3s. 3Jd. 



" For one salmon, bought of Chigg, 19d." 



" For half a salmon, 5d." 



" For a salmon and a half, 13d." 



" For one salmon, bought of Thomas, 5d." 



"For one quarter of a salmon, 12d." 



Nor can these prices be considered contempt- 

 ible when compared with those of other articles 

 in the same account. 



" For one quarter of beef, 2s. 6d." 



" For 450 eggs, 18d." 



" For one calf and a half, 2s. 3d." 



" For one hen, Id."* 



* The prices of other fish noticed in this MS* are " One pickerel 

 [or small pike] 18d." a price out of all proportion to their present 

 value. " 300 herrings, 23d ; 5 sticks of eels, 2d. 8d. (a stick contained 

 25 eels) ; 6 gallons of oysters, 3s. 3d. ; 4 trouts, 7d. ; a white herring. 

 l|d. (the herrings above were probably salted) ; one cod fish, 5d." 

 The price paid for lampreys seems Out of all proportion, acknow- 

 ledging even the high estimation in which it was then held; unless 

 the term " one lamprey," meant a dish, or, as it was called, " a 

 bake of lampreys." "2 lampreys, 3s.; one lamprey, 18d. ; one 

 lamprey, Is." &c. It is curious to observe fish, which we now 

 make no use of, mentioned in this MS. as an article of daily 

 consumption. " For one .gallon (lagena) of minnows, bought of 

 Mauntell, 13d. ;" " for minnows bought of Bukke, 19d." 



