CtASsIV. LAMPREY. 



They are taken in nets along with falmon and 

 Iliad, and fometimes in weels laid in the bottom of 

 the river. 



It has been an old cuflom for the city of GIou- 

 cefter^ annually, to prefent his majefty with a lam- 

 prey pye, covered with a large raifed cruft. As 

 the gift is made at Chriftmas^ it is with great diffi- 

 culty the corporation can procure any frelh lam- 

 preys at that time, though they give a guinea a-piece 

 for them, fo early in the leafon. 



They are reckoned a great delicacy, either when 

 potted or ftewed, but are a furfeiting food, as one 

 of our monarchs fatally experienced, Henry the 

 Firft's death being occafioned by a too plentiful 

 meal of thefe fifh. It appears that notwithftanding 

 this accident, they continued in high efteem ; for 

 Henry the Fourth granted protections to fuch fhips 

 as brought over lampreys for the table of his royal 

 confort*. His luccefTor ifTues out a warrant to 

 William of Nantes^ for fupplying him and his army 

 with lampreys, wherefoever they happen to march f . 

 Diredions are afterwards given that they fhould be 

 taken between the miouth of the Seyne and Harfieur, 



Lampreys are fometimes found fo large as tQ 

 weigh four or five pounds. 



The mouth is round and placed rather obliquely 

 below the end of the nofe : the edges are jagged^ 



♦ Rymer, VIII. 429. 

 t Idem. IX. 544, 



whicli 



77 



