The San Francisco call., 1907-01-06
Bv Gertrude V. Gabbs
The Queen 81 Hearts. she made some tarts
All on summers day.

AT a summers day.
THERE is a queer old book in
the celebrated Holkam collection
in the British Museum that has
not rival in point OF interest
the whole world OF Libraries over. It
isn't poetry, nor music, nor art, but
= you look at it the right way perhaps
* is the whole three rolled into one
grand separate classic. It isn't even
q gentle, little love tale bound in yell
lowing pages OF vellum. Yet IL is a
guide by which the ladies OF long ago
Travelled the straight and sure road TO
their lovers hearts. il the old saw
about the way TO mans
beart lying through his stomach
is true. You've guessed tit is
e cook book-or rather The Cookery
Booke," as the name is printed on the
curling parchment covers, and il is the
very first one ever compiled II was
written when good Queen Bess came TO
reign over all Britain, and 1t is claimed
was the property Of the Virgin Queen
herself I am 10th to believe this,
however, for an Unborn reverence for
the worlds great would be rudely
shocked If I did, considering that the
pages Of the little book are. to say the
least, very smeary and dirty. But the
caretaker Of the collection has no such
gentle scruples. He stoUtly maintains
that the smears are aristOcratic and
that one, the print Of strongly
marked thumb, belongs to none other
than the royal maid herself.
So, for the sake Of peace and because
the statement brings q revenue that is
one OF the ''perquisites" Of the care
takers ofice, we viii let that state
ment stand, not being English and so
having no personal feeling in the mat
ter. 1t is even good to believe, for il
lends 10 the little volume a glamour tnat
II otherwise would not have. AS I
pored over the complicated recipes 7
fancied that time had swung back and
revealed to my view the elegant Eliza
beth, a jaunty little apron over her
purple and ermine, her crown tipped
far TO one side and her stately face be-
daubed with pearl dust" welding a
busy spoon as she bent over some con-
coction, while the ladies and gallants
OF the court stood Loyalty by, praying
for a painless death at the hands OF
their ambitious sovereign, who had
turned good. plain cook. 1t is q fine
picture TO conjure up. IL throws mystic
light Of glamour and awe around the
everyday art OF housekeeping TO know
that a Queen could find something in
teresting in pots, kettles and pans. even
II they were made Of gold and silver.
The little book is itself most unpre-
tentious in appearance. To look at il
one would never suspect its royal as
sOciatiOn. IT is beautifully yellowed
with it's great age, and the outside
coverings have curled bacK to display
the thin parchment leaves and the
funny old printing. daubed here and
there, with the print OF a strongly
marked thumb. It clearly states, on
the fiyleaf. that il is given to the peo-
pie Of England by royal desire to be
a "joye 10 them and their descendants
forever"
The modern houseleeper may think
the preparing of daily meals in this
enlightened century a task; but she
would be comforted indeed could she
take one peek in the book that gave
the English ladies OF long ago direc-
tiOns for living the complicated life
She would not be in the least desirous
that time should swing backward.
II Is interesting 20 find, however,
after a careful reading Of the "booke,"
that some OF our dishes OF today, pc
culiarly garbIed and twisted. appear TO
have been favorites as far back as
the sixteenth century. There is one
dish in particular, whose recipe for
making meets our eyes in the old Just
~ NLC C4AAAAoAg DlL DOOhE OL LOQdl-
1t is the historic. toothsome and reli-
able custard.
So long as there have been eggs and
chickens to lay them, cooks have com
bineo the former with milk and, sin
gularly enough, have always called the
mixture "custard." The very first re-
cipe in the little book. therefore, is
for this reliable and delicious dessert.
and the modern eye is appalled, when
II notes the quantities Of the ingre-
dients needed to perpetrate the dish.
The little book calls for fifteen quarts
OF milk and thirty-six eggs! This.
however, is not so bad as II looks, for
II was the unalterable custom at All
civic feasts IN Elizabeths time to
place an immense custard in the cen
ter OF the banquet table.
As the repast waved merrier and