MUTE SWAN. 221 



TO ROAST A SWAN. 



Take three pounds of beef, beat fine in a mortar, 



Put it into the Swan that is, when you "ve caught her. 



Some pepper, salt, mace, some nutmeg, an onion, 



Will heighten the flavour in Gourmand's opinion. 



Then tie it up tight with a small piece of tape, 



That the gravy and other things may not escape. 



A meal paste, rather stiff, should be laid on the breast, 



And some whited brown paper should cover the rest. 



Fifteen minutes at least ere the Swan you take down, 



Pull the paste off the bird, that the breast may get brown. 



THE GRAVY. 



To a gravy of beef, good and strong, I opine, 

 You '11 be right if you add half a pint of port wine ; 

 Pour this through the Swan, yes, quite through the belly, 

 Then serve the whole up with some hot currant jelly. 

 N.B. The Swan must not be skinned. 



In former times the Swan was served up at every 

 great feast ; and I have occasionally seen a cygnet exposed 

 for sale in the poulterers' shops of London, but not very 

 lately. 



No. 11. Eton College has the privilege of keeping 

 Swans on the Thames, and this is the College swan-mark. 

 It is intended to represent the armed point, and the fea- 

 thered end of an arrow, and is here represented as cut 

 on the door of one of the inner rooms in the College. 



Nos. 12 and 13 are derived from Mr. Kempe^s interest- 

 ing publication of the Losely Manuscripts, and represent 

 the swan-marks of the Dyers 1 and Vintners 1 Companies 

 of the City of London, as used in the reign of Elizabeth. 

 These two companies have long enjoyed the privilege of 

 preserving Swans on the Thames, from London to a con- 

 siderable distance, some miles above Windsor, and they 

 continue the ancient custom of proceeding with their friends 

 and visiters, with the royal swanherd's man, and their 



