s of my profession, and others,
this book cannot but be acceptable, as it plainly and profitably
discovers the mystery of the whole art; for which, though I may be
envied by some, that only value their private interests above posterity
and the public good; yet (he adds), God and my own conscience would not
permit me to bury these, my experiences, with my silver hairs in the
grave."

Those high and mighty masters and mistresses of the alimentary art, who
call themselves "_profess_" cooks, are said to be very jealous and
mysterious beings; and that if, in a long life of laborious stove-work,
they have found out a few useful secrets, they seldom impart to the
public the fruits of their experience; but sooner than divulge their
discoveries for the benefit and comfort of their fellow-creatures, these
silly, selfish beings will rather run the risk of a reprimand from their
employers, and will sooner spoil a good dinner, than suffer their
fellow-servants to see how they dress it!!!

The silly selfishness of short-sighted mortals, is never more extremely
absurd than in their unprofitable parsimony of what is of no use to
them, but would be of actual value to others, who, in return, would
willingly repay them tenfold. However, I hope I may be permitted to
quote, in defence of these culinary professors, a couple of lines of a
favourite old song:

"If you search the world round, each profession, you'll find,
Hath some snug little secrets, which the Mystery[30-*] they call."

MY RECEIPTS are the results of experiments carefully made, and
accurately and circumstantially related;

The TIME requisite for dressing being stated;

The QUANTITIES of the various articles contained in each composition
being carefully set down in NUMBER, WEIGHT, and MEASURE.

The WEIGHTS are _avoirdupois_; the MEASURE, _Lyne's_ graduated glass, i.
e. a wine-pint divided into sixteen ounces, and the ounce into eight
drachms. By a _wine-glass_ is to be understood two ounces liquid
measure; by a large or _table-spoonful_, half an ounce; by a small or
_tea-spoonful_, a drachm, or half a quarter of an ounce, i. e. nearly
equal to two drachms avoirdupois.

At some glass warehouses, you may get measures divided into tea and
table-spoons. No cook should be without one, who wishes to be regular in
her business.

This precision has never before been attempted in cookery books, but I
found it indispensable from the impossibility of _guessing_ the
qu