river of Thames at Gravesend.* And then uphon the first
Mondaie in August, I come westward towards Wyndsor.
Wherefore if it may please you to send to my howse to
Hampton Court what daies you meane to appoints for driving
the river of Weyhridge and Moisey, it shall suffice, to
th’ end the gamesters male have knowledge thereof, that they
may attend accordingly. I do thinke. it wold greatly satisffie
them yf yo1 did appointe the same upon Tuesday the f ii*
of August, for upon that day they wil be at the entrance of
these rivers. And so prainge you to p’don me for my absence
at this tyme, I humbly take my leave. Hampton
Courte, this Mondaie, xxxth of July 1593.
- - “ Yor poore frend to comaunde,
j§ R. Maylard.” ..,
“ To the R. W. Sir W. Moore, Kn’t,
at Pirforde.”
No. 9, the first swan mark of the ^presentations forming
the final vignette, is that of the corporation of Norwich, now
used to mark the Swans belonging to the corporation on the
river Yare.
No. 1 0 , is the swan mark of the present Bishop of Norwich,
the President of the Linnean Society of London, to
whose kindness I am indebted for the following particulars as
now practised at Norwich, in reference to the feeding the
young Swans of the year for the table. The town-clerk
sends a note from the Town-hall to the public swanherd,
the corporation and others, who have Swans and Swan rights.
On the second Monday in August, when collected in a small
stew or pond, the number annually varying from fifty to
seventy, and many of them belonging to private individuals,*f*
* Many Swans were formerly kept below bridge. In ancient views of the
port of London, they are usually represented as swimming in that part of the
river.
t Bloomfield’s History of Norfolk contains representations of numerous
swan marks.
they begin to feed immediately, being provided with as much
barley as they can eat, and are usually ready for killing early
in November. They vary in weight, some reaching to twenty-
eight pounds. They are all cygnets. If kept beyond November
they begin to fall off, losing both flesh and fat, and
the meat becomes darker in colour and stronger in flavour.
A printed copy of the following lines is usually sent with
each bird.
TO ROAST A SWAN.
Take three pounds of beef, beat fine in a mortar,
Put it into the Swan—that is, when you’ve caught her.
'''' Some pepper, salt, mace, some nutmeg, an onion,
Will heighten the flavour in Gourmand’s opinion.
Then tie it up tight with a small piece of tape,
That the gravy and other things may not escape.
I A meal paste, rather stiff, should be laid on the breast,
And some whited brown paper should cover the rest.
Fifteen minutes at least ere the Swan you take down,
Pull the paste off the bird, that the breast may get brown.
THE GRAVY.
To a gravy of beef, good and strong, I opine,
You ’ll be right if you add half a pint of port wine;
Pour this through the Swan, yes, quite through the belly,
Then serve the whole up with some hot currant jelly.
, NB. The Swan must not be skinned.
In former times the Swan was served up at every great
feast; and I have occasionally seen a cygnet exposed for sale
in the poulterers’ shops of London, but not very lately.
No. 11. Eton College has the privilege of keeping Swans
on the Thames, and this is the College swan mark. I t is
intended to represent the armed point, and the feathered end
of an arrow, and is represented by nail heads on the door of
one of the inner rooms in the College.
Nos. 12 and 18 are derived from Mr. Kempe’s interesting
publication of the Loseley Manuscripts, and represent the
swan marks of the Dyers’ and Vintners’ Companies of the