BILL OF FARE OF 1626.

If an actual bill of fare in a gentleman’s house, anno 1626, be worth your acceptance, as a pendant to the one prescribed in your fourth number, you are welcome to the following extract from the account book of Sir Edward Dering, Knt. and Bart.:—­

“A Dinner att London, made when my Lady Richardson, my sister E Ashbornham, and Kate Ashb,—­my brother John Ashb, my cosen Walldron and her sister, and S’r John Skeffington, were with me att Aldersgate streete, December 23, 1626.  My sister Fr Ashb and cosen Mary Hill did fayle of coming.

Wine 3s. 10d. 
Stourgeon 7s.
a joll of brawne 5s.
pickled oystres a barrell 1s. 6d.
viniger 3d. 
Rabbets a couple—­larkes a dozen—­plovers 3 and
  snikes 4 7s. 
Carrowaye and comfites 6d.
a Banquet and 2 dozen and a half of glass plates to
  sett it out in 1l. 3s. 
Half a doe—­which in y’e fee and charge of bringing
  itt out of Northampton 8s.
a warden py that the cooke made—­we finding y’e
  wardens 2s. 4d.
ffor a venison pasty, we finding y’e venison 4s.
ffor 2 minct pyes 2s. 6d.
a breast of veale 2s. 4d.
a legg of mutton 2s.
          
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Sum totall expended 3l. 10s. 3d.
          
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The dinner was at y’e first course—­

a peece of Brawne. a boiled ducke in white broathe. a boiled haunch of powdered venison. 2 minct pyes. a boyled legge of mutton. a venison pasty. a roast ducke. a powdered goose roasted. a breast of veale. a cold Capon py.

Second course—­

a couple of rabbitts. 3 plovers. 12 larks. 4 snikes. pickled oysters—­2 dishes. a cold warden py. a joull of Sturgeon.

Complement—­

Apples and Carrawayes.
wardens bakt and cold. 
A Cake and
  Cheese.

     A banquett ready in y’e next room.

     Mem’d—­we had out of y’e country y’e goose, y’e duckes, y’e capon
     py, y’e Cake and wardens, and y’e venison; but that is allways p’d
     for, though given.”

The above seems to have been a family dinner.  Sir Edward married, for his second wife, a daughter of Sir Ashbornham, as appears by the following entry:—­

“1.  January 1624/5, beeing Saturday, at sixe of y’e clocke att night, atte Whitehall, in y’e Duke of Buckingham’s lodgings, I married Anne Ashbornham, third da of Sir Ashbornham, late of Ashbornham, Kt.”

In another entry we have—­