234 FARMING FOR LADIES. [chap. x. 



other part of Europe. It was celebrated by the 

 troubadours as the food of heroes and of lovers, 

 and was frequently served at the sumptuous 

 repasts of the great nobles. On the celebration 

 of the nuptial feast, given in 1468, on the mar- 

 riage of the Duke of Burgundy and Queen 

 Margaret of England, it has indeed been re- 

 corded, that no less than one hundred peacocks 

 were served up every day during a week ! 

 They were skinned with their feathers on, 

 and, when roasted, the skin and plumage were 

 replaced, so as to appear as if still alive. 

 Great numbers were fattened by the poul- 

 terers of Paris, nor were they at all unusual 

 at the tables of the rich in England, though 

 old Gervase Markham describes them as — 

 " verie unwholesome, and used in greate ban- 

 quets more for rarenesse than nouryshment ; 

 for it is most certaine that roste a peacocke 

 or peahenne never so drie, then sette it uppe 

 and looke on it nexte dale, and it will be 

 bloode-rawe, as if it had not beene rosted 

 at all." 



This may indeed be somewhat exaggerated, 

 and was probably dictated by dislike at the 

 expensive profusion of such entertainments ; 



