192 HIGHLAND CHEER. 



malvasy (10), muskadel, hippocras, and aquivita;. Further 

 there was of meats, wheat bread, maimbread and ginger- 

 bread ; with fleshes, beef, mutton, lamb, veal, venison, goose, 

 grice (H)j capon, coney, cran, swan, partridge, plover, 

 duck, drake, brisset cock (12), and pawnies (13), black 

 cock, muirfowl, and capercailies. And also the stanks 

 that were round about the palace were full of all delicate 

 fish, as salmonds, trouts, pearches, pikes, eels, and all other 

 kinds of delicate fish that could be gotten in fresh water, 

 and all ready for the banquet; syne were there proper 

 stewards, cunning baxters (14), excellent cooks and potin- 

 gars (15), with confections and drugs for their desert. 

 And the halls and chambers were prepared with costly 

 bedding, vessels, and napry, according for a king ; so that 

 he wanted none of his orders more than he had been at 

 home in his own palace. The king remained in this 

 wilderness at the hunting the space of three days and three 

 nights, and his company, as I have shown. I heard men 

 say it cost the Earl of Athole every day in expenses a 

 thousand pounds. 



" The ambassador of the pope seeing this great banquet 

 and triumph which was made in a wilderness where there 

 was no town near by twenty miles, thought it a great 

 marvel that such a thing could be in Scotland, considering 

 how bleak and barren it was thought by other countries, 



10 " Malvasy," Malmsey wine. 



11" Grice, or Gyrce," A young wild boar. 



12 " Brisset Cock," Turkey. 



13 ".Pawnies," Peacock. 



14 " Baxters," Bakers. 



15 " Potingars," Cooks who prepared herbs. 



