A RACE FOR THE EARS. 
33 
prefer the gold to the flesh of the bird. That astute court 
ibol was, we are told, once at supper with his royal master, 
and fixed his eyes so intently upon a dish of partridges, 
that the king, with whom he Avas a great favourite, said to 
his attendants, ^ Give that dish to Dominico.' 'And the 
partridges too, sire ? ' was the artful question. * And the 
partridges, too,' responded the monarch. It is added that 
the dish was of gold. 
We have already, in our account of the Pheasant, spoken 
of that French preacher of the thirteenth century, according 
to whose dictum the flesh of the Partridge should be eaten 
by the clergy only. We quoted, too, several passages from 
our old dramatists, which show that this article of diet was 
held in high estimation by our countrymen ^ long, long, 
ago/ Did our readers ever hear the story of a Brace of 
Partridges, which is related by the people of La Bass Bre- 
tagne with much gusto over their winter fires ? Here is 
one version of it : — 
A certain cure had two Partridges, which he ordered his maid to 
dress for his Sunday's dinner. While he was saying mass, a female 
friend of the cook's called to have a chat with her, and was so 
tempted by the delicious odour of the birds, that she slipped off a wing, 
which excited her appetite so much, that she ventured to take a leg, 
then a bit of the breast ; and her friend, the cook, being unable to 
withstand the temptation, followed her example ; and thus, between 
them, both the Partridges disappeared. 
When twelve o'clock struck, the cook found herself in a great 
quandary. But a mendicant friar just then coming to the door, her 
ready wit suggested the means of getting out of her difficulty. 
She accordingly invited the friar to walk in, telling him that her 
master would be glad to see him, if he chanced to be in his right 
mind, but he had lately been insane upon one point ; he had a fancy 
for cutting off the ears of his guests, but this possessed him only at 
times, and if he began to sharpen his knife, it was a sure sign that 
the fit was on him. 
* So step into this closet,' she continued, ' when you hear him com- 
ing in from church, and you will soon be able to judge whether you 
may safely dine with him or not.' 
Presently the cure came in, and the wicked cook requested him 
to go into the yard and sharpen the carving-knife ; and while he was 
in the act of doing so, she went to the friar, drew him to the win- 
dow, and bade him make his escape, as her master certainly had 
designs upon his ears. 
Without waiting for a second vrarning, the friar darted off ; and 
c 
