Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-10-06
OUR BANQUETING AND THAT OF
OUR ANCESTORS.
The Decorative Splendor.

OUR ANCESTORS
The Decorative SplendoF.
From Harper's Bazaar.
When the table is set with lace and damask,
engraved crystal, silver, candles, and banks Of
flowers with satin bills Of fare trailing their tin
sci fringes from little brass bannerets and all
repeated in mirrors, the dinner-givers Of the
present time seem to think they have done the
utmost there Is to do in the way Of the decora-
tive splendor Of the banquet, and the rest goes
without saying, rational and refined feast cost
ing from ten to fifty dollars plate.
What would these worthy and generous hosts
have said, then, at the feasts of vitellius, who,
| In seven months. spent on his table a sum equiv
alent to thirty-fve million dollars, at time,
too. when money was more valuable than 1t is to-
day Lucullus also must have been able to give
them points in the art Of banqueting, when he
never had supper in his room of Apollo at a
less cost than eighty thousand dollars. And
was it not Apcius-One of the three-who had
a dish made of the brains of five hundred os-
triches and the tongues of five thou
sand birds that had been taught to
In the days of these gourmets and gourmands
who with a vanity unrivalled by any other
writer IN history, save and except NJ Ude. de-
clared: "Assuredly have discovered ambrosia.
Had the dead but the faculty Of smelling, the
fragrance of my compositions should speedily re-
| store them to health and strength" Doubtless
this discovery of his was washed down with old
Faiernian or with smoky Greek wines; and in
the eight or ten delicate varieties OfbOttled sum
shine and dew, whose clusters OF dainty glasses
ornament the table as much as the flowers do,
our later diners have the advantage. But
THE MEDIEVAL BANQUET
was very different thing from the ancient ban
Quet, which, with all it's prodigality, was a
thing of art beside the other. For the media
val banquet was perpetual effort for the pro-
digious, and the men and women who feasted
at it might have had something about them of
the bcstial and the god combined had their ap-
petites really required any such feeding. The
most poetcal thing we have ever come across in
accounts of their festivity, If it can be called
pOetical. was the pillar erected at the corona
ton of Occur de Lion, hollow marble pillar on
| steps. and on the top gilt eagle, under whose
claws, In the capital of the pillar. were divers
kinds of wines gushing forth at different places
| all the day long, Of which all who came were
they ever so poor and abject were at liberty to
drink. At another feast, that given at the mar
| rage OF Lionel Duke Of Clarence. the third son
| OF the third Edward, to Violantis, the daughter
| OF Gelasius H., Duke Of Milan-a feast one
of whose guests was Petrarch-there were
| thirty courses, and between every course won
derful presents were distributed. ''There were
In one only course seventy goodly horses,
adorned with silks and silver furniture; and in
the others. silver vessels, falcons hounds,
armour for horses, costly coates of maybe, breast
plates gllttering of massive steele, helmets and
| corslets decked with costly crestes, apparel
distinct with costly jewels, sOuldiers' gtrdles,
and lastly certain gemmes by curious art set in
gold, and of purple and cloth Of gold for mems
| apparel in great abundance. And such was the
sumptuousness of that banquet, that the meates
which were brought from the table would
suftcientiy have served ten thousand men,"
Compared with this wholesale gift business, the
presents, however delectable, distributed as
faVors at recent germans and dinners must
make, after all, but beggarly array.
THE PEACOCK AS A DECORATOR.
At all banquets both of the elder and of the
middle ages, the peacock was favorite piece of
decoration. Sometimes 1t was quite covered
with leaf-gOld, as if that were an improve
ment upon its brilliant dyes, and with bit of
linen In its mouth, dipped in spirits and set
on fire, 1t was served on a golden dish by the
lady of highest rank. attended by her train of
maidens and followed by music, and was set be-
fore the most distinguished guest. This was
performance OF great state and ceremony, and
the bird was held in 50 far sacred that oaths
could be taken on itshead. One of the old turn
spit-directOrs gives us full information as to
another and certainly handsomer way of serv-
Ing the creature, although one may be par
doned for querying how it was contrived after
ward to carve him: "At feeste roiall pecokkes
shall be digit on this manner. Take and flee
off the skynne with the fedurs, tayle. and
nekke. and the he'd thereon; then take the skyn
with all the fedurs and lay hit on a table abrode
and strawe thereon grOunden comyn; then take
the pecOkke and rosie hymn, and endore [baste]
him with rave yolkes of egees; and when he is
rosted take hymn off and let hymn cole awhile,
and take and sowe hymn in his skyn, and glide
MS combe, and so serve hymn fOrthe with the
last cOurS'
But whatever may be thought Of the decora-
tlon OF the tables as in comparison with those of
our own era, or of the character of the prOdigal
squandering of food and drink, or of the man
ners and customs Of TIE time in general one
1880 is reported to us by Robert May in his Ac-
| cOmplisM COoke-a book dedicated to Lords
MOuntague. Lumley and Dorner, and to the
Right WOrshipful Sir Kenelm Digby, 80 well
known to the nation for their admired hospitali-
ties as the writer says, which interlude, as
the writer further sets forth. was formerly
one of the delights of the nobility before good
housekeeping had left England. Among his
1riunaphs and Trophies in Cookery. this good
natured little author gives instructions for the
manufacture of a pasteboard ship, with flags
and streamers and guns, and little trains of
powderadded after it has been covered with a
coarse paste and baked, certain portions of it
gilded, and the whole planted In dish full of
in salt.
THE BIRDS AND FROGS.
Opposite this is to be castle similarly manu-
featured. with turrets and battlements, and
drawbridges and "perculses." Between the
two Is stag. compounded in like fashion again,
with an arrow in his side and his body full of
claret. Two pies then are baked, and after
baking the lids are lifted and one is filled with
live frogs and the other with live birds. Then,
all being set at table, the trains Of popRder are
lighted, and the castle fires upon tfiesship. and
the ship returns the fire, and the arrow is
plucked from the stag, whereon the claret flows
like life-blood from the wound. CAN danger
being seemingly over by this time, you may sup
pose they will desire to see what is in the Pies;
when, lifting first the lid off one Pie, out
skps some Frogs, which makes the Ladies
to skip and shreek and after the other Pie,
whence comes out the Birds, who. by natural
instinct flying at the light will put out the can
dies; so that what with the flying Birds and
skipping Frogs, the one above, the other be-
meath, will cause much delight and Measure tn