298 THE COOKERY OF VENISON 



with all his gifts, was no gourmet, and when Scrope 

 or Glengarry sent him a haunch, be it said with all 

 reverence, it was a case of the proverb of the 

 pearls. He talks lightly of passing a haunch over to 

 Lockhart's tender mercies, which he ' hacked well 

 enough, as there was plenty to come and go upon ; ' 

 and Lockhart tells us that when one of them came in, 

 kept to corruption, Scott would sit in innocent surprise 

 when his guests were sniffing the tainted air with 

 unmistakable signs of disgust, as the deer in his native 

 wilds when he gets wind of the stalker. Neverthe- 

 less, Scott's novels and poems, laying the scenes in 

 the feudal times, and reviving Froissart-like the 

 mediaeval manners, are full of the glorification of 

 the deer, living and dead. To say nothing of ' The 

 Chase ' in ' The Lady of the Lake,' he borrows many 

 a simile from the hunting and the tinchel. But 

 neither baron nor chieftain, beater nor driver, was 

 over-fastidious as to the dressing and serving. The 

 buck pulled down at the sports of Stirling, when 

 Lufra broke away from the Douglas' side, was sent 

 straight to the spit, that 



Venison and Bordeaux wine 

 Might serve the archery to dine. 



When venison furnished forth the better part of 

 the feast of Clan Quhele at the solemn inauguration 



