The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-11-04
The NIicliaeImRs Goose.

For the following tit bit we have been indebted to
that admirable artist in the literary Cuisine, Mr..
William Hewitt. We find it in his Year Book Of
The Counfry-which our readers may find In very
neat Harperian volume, at Taylor and Maury's.l
There have been merry times at Michaelmas-
who would believe il? Yet there haze been merry
times at Michaelmas. Mayors and aldermen were
then elected, and made their bows to each other !;
and be cure there were merry doings when mayors
and aldermen were in the case. Stubble geese,
like the aldermen, were now in prime condition !;
but being the weaker, according to the proverb,
went TO the wall, and thence 10 the kitchen, and
twirled upon the spit Ii was Jolly day in old
Mother Church she ordered every body that could
get il 70 eat goose In honor of st. Michael and all
the angels; we may suppose because they were not
such geese to quarrel with their comforts in hea
ven at the suggestion of Lucier. So in church and
corporation in abbey and town-hall, in farm and
cottage, there was universal eating OF fat geese
and nobody that ever heard Of complained of the
injunction. Queen Elizabeth was eating her goose
the time that the news of the defeat of the Span
ish Armada was brought to her; and no doubt she
thought the Spanisrds great and very green geese
for having come there, and that they would be much
greener il they ever came again.
Ever after, Queen Bess most assiduously ate her
goose at Michaelmas, and, probably, with Spanish
chestnuts, as people on the Continent do now; or,
If she did not she would not have repented II If she
had, for il is princely addition. Queen Bees ate
her goose all the more assiduously because il was
an old saying, that If you ate your goose at Mi
Cbaclnas, you would nave plenty OF money all tne
year round-a prescription so pleasant, that If its
efficacy were at all proportioned TO its agreeable
ness people would be geese, indeed. not TO comply
with. How, indeed, could any one desire pleas
anter way Of replenishing purse' Queen Bess
always dreadfuy in want Of money, however;
and this came 10 be seen and not the Ices TO be
felt by those who had the taxes TO pay, and no
more armsdas came 10 be defeated, people lost all
faith in eating roast goose except the comfortable
faith that Robert Soutbey had, when he addressed
one in sonnet and asking the goose here it could
have been so brayely fed, and received no answer,
added of himselE
But this know, that thou tvory fine
Seasoned with sage with onions, and port wine.
"Jolly times, then it is clear there have been at
don, there has been made dreadful inroad by the
Municipal Corporation Reform act, which forbade
all eating of Micbaelmas goose in corporate capa-
city Driven out Of converts and corporations, yet
] imagine roast goose at Michaelmas finds "A vel
come reception in many farm, gentleman's, and
other private house. Roast pigs no longer about
with oranges in their mouths, crying, Come, eat
| met but stubble geese really do seem TO met you
| at every turn, and cacke out invitingly that pa
/ thetic request. At markets and poulterers they
| crowd upon you; in lanes and on commons they
| nibble at your heels, and hiss to inform you tina
they are fat and foolish and beg you 10 introduce
| them TO a sage. They stand in focks at stubble
| field gates, and look mploringlyi every where yor
are called on TO note that they longer green
| but have grown grey and corpulent, and have bu
| one earthly desire left, and that ito be don'
brown. There is no resisting this. The Michael
mas goose will find warm reception wherever /
goes, TO the end Of the world"