The Warden-Pear. 141 



imprisoned by his warden for favouring the 

 Reformation, was asked by his friends what 

 he would eat, and he replied, A Warden-pie : 



' ' But I would have it made only of two wardens," 

 he added, ' ' our Warden of Oxford and our Warden 

 of Winchester. For such a Warden-pie might do me 

 and many another Christian good ; but give me no 

 wardens of the tree, for they could not be any 

 comfort to me." 



The warden-pie was composed of meat as 

 well as pears. In the Winter's Tale, the 

 clown is made to say : " I must have saffron 

 to colour the warden-pies." From a passage 

 in Beaumont and Fletcher's Cupid's Revenge 

 (1615), we may conclude that the pear itself 

 was usually eaten roasted : 



" I would have him roasted, like a warden, 

 In brown paper." 



The French call this pear/0z> de garde. 



