Drayton, in the 20th Song of his Polyolbion, introduces the same idea concerning the skirret: "The skirret, which, some say, in sallets stirs the blood." Shakspeare alludes to this quality of potatoes in The Merry Wives of Windsor: "Let the sky rain potatoes, hail kissing comfits, and snow eringoes; let a tempest of provocation Ben Jonson mentions potatoe pies in Every Man out of his Humour, among other good unctuous meats. So, T. Heywood, in The English Traveller, 1633: "Caviare, sturgeon, anchovies, pickled oysters; yes "What thinkest rare and costly." Again, in The Dumb Knight, 1633: "—truly I think a marrow-bone pye, candied eringoes, preserved dates, or marmalade of cantharides, were much better harbingers; cock-sparrows stew'd, dove's brains, or swans' pizzles, are very provocative; ROASTED POTATOES, or boiled skirrets, are your only lofty dishes." Again, in Decker's Honest Whore, 1635: "If she be a woman, marrow-bones and potatoe-pies keep me," &c. Again, in A Chaste Maid of Cheapside, by Middleton, 1620: "You might have spar'd this banquet of eringoes, "Artichokes, potatoes, and your butter'd crab; They were fitter kept for your own wedding dinner." Again, in Chapman's May-Day, 1611: "-a banquet of oysterpies, skirret-roots, potatoes, eringoes, and divers other whetstones of venery." Again, in Decker's If this be not a good Play the Devil is in it, 1612: "Potatoes eke, if you shall lack "To corroborate the back." Again, in Jack Drum's Entertainment, 1601: “—by Gor, an me had known dis, me woode have eat som potatos, or ringoe." Again, in Sir W. D'Avenant's Love and Honour, 1649: "You shall find me a kind of sparrow, widow; "A barley-corn goes as far as a potatoe." Again, in The Ghost, 1640: "Then, the fine broths I daily had sent to me, Again, in Histriomastix, or the Player whipt, 1610: "Give your play-gull a stool, and your lady her fool, "And her usher potatoes and marrow." Nay, so notorious were the virtues of this root, that W. W. the old translator of the Menæchmi of Plautus, 1595, has introduced them into that comedy. When Menaechmus goes to the house of his mistress Erotium to bespeak a dinner, he adds, "Harke ye, some oysters, a mary-bone pie or two, some artichockes, and potato-roots; let our other dishes be as you please." Again, in Greene's Disputation between a Hee Coneycatcher and a Shee Coneycatcher, 1592: "I pray you, how many badde proffittes againe growes from whoores. Bridewell woulde have verie fewe tenants, the hospitall would wante patientes, and the surgians much woorke: the apothecaries would have surphaling water and potato-roots lye deade on their handes." Again, in Cynthia's Revels, by Ben Jonson: "-'tis your only dish, above all your potatoes or oyster-pies in the world." Again, in The Elder Brother, by Beaumont and Fletcher: "A banquet-well, potatoes and eringoes, "And as I take it, cantharides-Excellent!" Again, in The Loyal Subject, by the same authors: "Will your lordship please to taste a fine potato? "Fill your honour full of noble itches," &c. Again, in The Martial Maid, by Beaumont and Fletcher: "Will your ladyship have a potatoe-pie? 'tis a good stirring dish for an old lady after a long lent." Again, in The Sea Voyage, by the same authors: Again: 66 Oh, for some eringoes, "Potatoes, or cantharides!" "See provoking dishes, candied eringoes Again, in The Picture, by Massinger: 66 he hath got a pye "Of marrow-bones, potatoes and eringoes." Again, in Massinger's New Way to pay old Debts: 'tis the quintessence 66 sparrows, "Of five cocks of the game, ten dozen of Again, in The Guardian, by the same author: 66 Potargo, "Potatoes, marrow, caviare." Again, in The City Madam, by the same: prescribes my diet, and foretells "My dreams when I eat potatoes." Taylor the Water-poet likewise, in his character of a Bawd, ascribes the same qualities to this genial root. Again, Decker, in his Gul's Hornbook, 1609: “Potato-pies and custards stood like the sinful suburbs of cookery," &c. . Again, in Marston's Satires, 1599: 66 camphire and lettice chaste, "Are now cashier'd-now Sophi 'ringoes eate, Again, in Holinshed's Chronicle, Description of England, p. 167: "Of the potato and such venerous roots, &c. I speake not." 1596: 66 Lastly, in Sir John Harrington's Metamorphosis of Ajax, Perhaps you have been used to your dainties of pota toes, of caveare, eringus, plums of Genowa, all which may well encrease your appetite to severall evacuations." In The good Huswives Jewell, a book of cookery published in 1596, I find the following receipt to make a tarte that is a courage to a man or woman: "Take two quinces, and twoo or three burre rootes, and a POTATON; and pare your POTATON and scrape your roots, and put them into a quarte of wine, and let them boyle till they bee tender, and put in an ounce of dates, and when they be boiled tender, drawe them through a strainer, wine and all, and then put in the yolkes of eight eggs, and the braynes of three or four cocke-sparrowes, and straine them into the other, and a little rose-water, and seeth them all with sugar, cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves, and mace; and put in a little sweet butter, and set it upon a chafing-dish of coles between two platters, to let it boyle till it be something bigge." Gerard elsewhere observes, in his Herbal, that " "potatoes may serve as a ground or foundation whereon the cunning confectioner or sugar-baker may worke and frame many comfortable conserves and restorative sweetmeats." The same venerable botanist likewise adds, that the stalk of clotburre, "being eaten rawe with salt and pepper, or boiled in the broth of fat meat, is pleasant to be eaten, and stirreth up venereal motions. It likewise strengtheneth the back," &c. Speaking of dates, he says, that "thereof be made divers excellent cordial comfortable and nourishing medicines, and that procure lust of the body very mightily." He also mentions quinces as having the same virtues. We may likewise add, that Shakspeare's own authority for the efficacy of quinces and dates is not wanting. He has certainly introduced them both as proper to be employed in the wedding dinner of Paris and Juliet: 66 They call for dates and quinces in the pastry." It appears from Dr. Campbell's Political Survey of Great Britain, that potatoes were brought into Ireland about the year 1610, and that they came first from Ireland into Lancashire. It was, however, forty years before they were much cultivated the house of his mistress Erotium to bespeak a dinner, he adds, "Harke ye, some oysters, a mary-bone pie or two, some artichockes, and potato-roots; let our other dishes be as you please." 66 Again, in Greene's Disputation between a Hee Coneycatcher and a Shee Coneycatcher, 1592: "I pray you, how many badde proffittes againe growes from whoores. Bridewell woulde have verie fewe tenants, the hospitall would wante patientes, and the surgians much woorke: the apothecaries would have surphaling water and potato-roots lye deade on their handes." Again, in Cynthia's Revels, by Ben Jonson: -'tis your only dish, above all your potatoes or oyster-pies in the world." Again, in The Elder Brother, by Beaumont and Fletcher: "A banquet-well, potatoes and eringoes, "And as I take it, cantharides-Excellent!" Again, in The Loyal Subject, by the same authors: "Will your lordship please to taste a fine potato? ""Twill advance your wither'd state, "Fill your honour full of noble itches," &c. Again, in The Martial Maid, by Beaumont and Fletcher: "Will your ladyship have a potatoe-pie? 'tis a good stirring dish for an old lady after a long lent." Again, in The Sea Voyage, by the same authors: Oh, for some eringoes, "Potatoes, or cantharides !" "See provoking dishes, candied eringoes Again, in The Picture, by Massinger: 66 he hath got a pye "Of marrow-bones, potatoes and eringoes." Again, in Massinger's New Way to pay old Debts: -66 -'tis the quintessence sparrows, "Of five cocks of the game, ten dozen of Again, in The Guardian, by the same author: 66 Potargo, "Potatoes, marrow, caviare.” Again, in The City Madam, by the same: prescribes my diet, and foretells "My dreams when I eat potatoes." Taylor the Water-poet likewise, in his character of a Bawd, ascribes the same qualities to this genial root. Again, Decker, in his Gul's Hornbook, 1609: "Potato-pies and custards stood like the sinful suburbs of cookery," &c. Again, in Marston's Satires, 1599: camphire and lettice chaste, "Are now cashier'd-now Sophi 'ringoes eate, Again, in Holinshed's Chronicle, Description of England, Lastly, in Sir John Harrington's Metamorphosis of Ajax, 1596: 66 Perhaps you have been used to your dainties of pota toes, of caveare, eringus, plums of Genowa, all which may well encrease your appetite to severall evacuations." In The good Huswives Jewell, a book of cookery published in 1596, I find the following receipt to make a tarte that is a courage to a man or woman: "Take two quinces, and twoo or three burre rootes, and a POTATON; and pare your POTATON and scrape your roots, and put them into a quarte of wine, and let them boyle till they bee tender, and put in an ounce of dates, and when they be boiled tender, drawe them through a strainer, wine and all, and then put in the yolkes of eight eggs, and the braynes of three or four cocke-sparrowes, and straine them into the other, and a little rose-water, and seeth them all with sugar, cinnamon, and ginger, and cloves, and mace; and put in a little sweet butter, and set it upon a chafing-dish of coles between two platters, to let it boyle till it be something bigge." Gerard elsewhere observes, in his Herbal, that "potatoes may serve as a ground or foundation whereon the cunning confectioner or sugar-baker may worke and frame many comfortable conserves and restorative sweetmeats." The same venerable botanist likewise adds, that the stalk of clotburre, "being eaten rawe with salt and pepper, or boiled in the broth of fat meat, is pleasant to be eaten, and stirreth up venereal motions. It likewise strengtheneth the back," &c. Speaking of dates, he says, that "thereof be made divers excellent cordial comfortable and nourishing medicines, and that procure lust of the body very mightily." He also mentions quinces as having the same virtues. We may likewise add, that Shakspeare's own authority for the efficacy of quinces and dates is not wanting. He has certainly introduced them both as proper to be employed in the wedding dinner of Paris and Juliet: "They call for dates and quinces in the pastry." It appears from Dr. Campbell's Political Survey of Great Britain, that potatoes were brought into Ireland about the year 1610, and that they came first from Ireland into Lancashire. It was, however, forty years before they were much cultivated |