housand crowns without the pope's dispensation. A friend of
mine also dwelling some time in Spain, having certain Jews at his
table, did set brawn before them, whereof they did eat very earnestly,
supposing it to be a kind of fish not common in those parts; but when
the goodman of the house brought in the head in pastime among them, to
shew what they had eaten, they rose from the table, hied them home in
haste, each of them procuring himself to vomit, some by oil and some
by other means, till (as they supposed) they had cleansed their
stomachs of that prohibited food. With us it is accounted a great
piece of service at the table from November until February be ended,
but chiefly in the Christmas time. With the same also we begin our
dinners each day after other; and, because it is somewhat hard of
digestion, a draught of malvesey, bastard, or muscadel, is usually
drank after it, where either of them are conveniently to be had;
otherwise the meaner sort content themselves with their own drink,
which at that season is generally very strong, and stronger indeed
than it is all the year beside. It is made commonly of the fore part
of a tame boar, set up for the purpose by the space of a whole year or
two, especially in gentlemen's houses (for the husbandmen and farmers
never frank them for their own use above three or four months, or half
a year at the most), in which time he is dieted with oats and peason,
and lodged on the bare planks of an uneasy coat, till his fat be
hardened sufficiently for their purpose: afterward he is killed,
scalded, and cut out, and then of his former parts is our brawn made.
The rest is nothing so fat, and therefore it beareth the name of sowse
only, and is commonly reserved for the serving-man and hind, except it
please the owner to have any part thereof baked, which are then
handled of custom after this manner: the hinder parts being cut off,
they are first drawn with lard, and then sodden; being sodden, they
are soused in claret wine and vinegar a certain space, and afterward
baked in pasties, and eaten of many instead of the wild boar, and
truly it is very good meat: the pestles may be hanged up a while to
dry before they be drawn with lard, if you will, and thereby prove the
better. But hereof enough, and therefore to come again unto our brawn.
The neck pieces, being cut off round, are called collars of brawn, the
shoulders are named shilds, only the ribs retain the former
denomination, so th