VENISON.

507

" Persica, poma, pira, lac, caseus, et caro Salsa,Et raro cervinä, leporina, caprina, bovina,Tlicc raolancholica sunt: atquo inflrmis inimica."" The peach, tho apple, poar, milk, cheeso, and salted cheekOf piff, with flesh of bück, bare, goat, andox-beef steak,All these aro molanclioly foods, whioh hurt the sick, andvreak."

South African hunters esteem as a great delicacy whencamping out " the liver of the bok (bück) just killed,either grilled on a gridiron, or roasted on largo flatstones made red hot ina wood fire."

" Venison," says Dr. Yeo (Food in Health and Disease),"from young deer is tender, short-fibred, dark-coloured,being highly savoury, and very digestible; it is,hovvever, rather too stimulating and full-flavoured fordelicate stomachs. It consists of water seventy-fourpartS, albuminates (very little gelatin) nineteen parts ;and fat one part, decimal thrcc per cent." In theMerry Wives of Windsor, Mistress Ann Page bids SirJohn Falstaffand other gcntlemen welcome ! "We havea hot venison pasty to dinner : come, gentlemen, I hopcwe shall drink down all unkindness." The umbles werethe entrails of a deer, and became perquisites of thegamekeeper, or were made a dish at tho sccond, or lowertable; so that the phrase "To eat umble pie," thus tookits origin. The actual pic was concocted from buck'sumbles with beef suet, apples, sugar, currants, andspices. As venison is found when eaten freely toengender melancholy its animal extract if properlyprepared may be well supposed remedial against thisintirmity of disposition ; likewise for the relief of piles.Formerly venison was seldom served without furmitv,made from wheat (friuiientiiw) : which dish is populär] ysupposed to have been that wherewith Joseph regaledhis brethren in Egypt, giving to Benjamin a doubleportion of the same.