FabulousFusionFood's 'Delights for Ladies', Frontispiece and Introduction
Frontispiece for the Delightes for Ladies.
Welcome to FabulousFusionFood's Delights for Ladies original and Modern Redaction Recipes, Frontispiece and Introduction — This represents the beginning of Hugh Plat's 1608 volume, Delights for Ladies. Here you will find the original frontispiece as well as a text facsimile and the original introduction to the volume by Hugh Plat himself. I have used a special font to present the recipes in as close a form to the original as possible as well as side-by-side updates of the text to modern English orthography. I am also working on providing modern redactions for each and every recipe presented here. Enjoy...
These pages have been written to be as close to the font styles of the late 16th and early 17th century original as possible, within the limitations of HTML. As a result, the long-s symbol 'ſ' has been used in the text wherever it features in the original, as well as overbars and other symbols to represent abbreviations and the ligatures that link the c–t characters.
You will encounter many unfamiliar culinary terms and usages in this work. Where the recipe has been redacted into modern form, these are either defined in the redaction or a link to a definition is given. However, may of the terms can also be found by browsing or searching the glossary of cooking and food terms pages on this site.
The text presented here is derived directly from the original manuscript, rendered in a late Elizabethan style font. The font is embedded in this page to ensure, as far as possible, that the text renders correctly for you.
Delights for Ladies: Frontispiece and Introduction
DELIGHTES
for Ladies, to adorn
for Ladies, to adorn
their perſons, Tables, cloſets, and diſtillatories:
WITH
WITH
Beauties, banquets, perfumes and Waters.
Reade, praice, and cenſure.
AT LONDON
Printed by H. L.
1608
Printed by H. L.
1608
Printed by H. L.
THE EPISTLE
To all true Louers of Arts and knowledge.
THE EPISTLE
To all true Louers of Arts and knowledge.
SOmetimes, I write the formes of bruning balles,
Supplying wāts that were by woodfals wrought:
Sometimes of tubs defended ſo by arte,
As fire in vaine hath their deſtruion ſought:
Sometimes I write of lasting Beuerage,
Great Neptune and his pilgrims to content:
Sometimes of food, ſweet, freſh, and durable,
To maintaine life, when all things els were ſpent:
Sometimes I write of ſundrie ſorts of ſoile,
Which neither Ceres nor her handmaides knew.
I write to all, but ſcarſly one beleeues,
Saue Diue and Denſhire, who haue found thē apt,
When heauens did mourne in cloudie mantles clad,
And threatned famine to the ſonnes of men:
When ſobbing rarth denied her kindly fruit
To painfull ploughmen and his hindes : euen then
I write relieuing remedies of dearth,
That oft might helpe where nature made a feile.
But all in vaine, theſe new borne babes of arte,
In their vntimely birth ſsraight way do quaile.
Of theſe and ſuch like other new found skills,
With painfull pen I whilorne wrote at larte,
Expeing ſtill my cocountries good therein,
And not reſpeing labour, time or charge:
But now my pen and paper are perfum'd,
I ſcorne to write with coppreſs, or wigh gall.
Barbarian canes are now become my quils,
Roſewater is the inke I wtire withall:
Of ſweetes the ſweeteth I will commend,
To ſweetest creatures that the earth doth beare:
Theſe are teh Saints to whole I ſacrifice
Preſerues and conſerues both of plum and peare.
Empaling no a lieu, tuſh archpane wal:
Are ſtrong enough, and beſt fefits our age:
Let pearting bullets turne to sugar bals,
The ſpaniſh fear is huſh : and all their rage.
Of marmelate and paſte of Genua,
Of musked ſugar I intend to wright,
Of Leach of Sucket, and Quidinia,
Affording to each Ladie her delight,
I teach both fruites and flowers to preſerue,
And candie them ſo Nugmegs, cloues, and mace,
To make both marchpane paſte, and ſugared place,
And caſt the ſame in formes of ſweeteſt grace,
Each bird and four ſo moulded from the life,
And after cast in ſweete compounds of arte,
As if the fleſh and forme which nature gave,
Did still remaine in euerie lim and part,
When cryſtall frothe haue rip the tender grape,
And cleane conſerue' a the fruits of euer is vine,
Yet heere behold the cluſters freſ.h and faire,
Fed from the branch, or hanging on the line,
The walnut, ſmall nut, and the cheſnut ſweete,
Whoſe ſurged kernels loſe their pleaſing taste,
And heere from yeere to yeere preſerued,
Are made by arte with ſtrongeſt fruits to laſt:
Th' artichoke, and the Apple of ſuch ſtrength,
The Quince, the Pomeganate, with the Barbery,
No ſugar vs'd, yet colour, taſte and ſmell,
And heere maintain'd and kept moſt naturally,
For Ladies cloſets and their stillatories.
Both waters, ointments and ſweet ſmelling bals,
In eaſie termes without affeed ſpeech,
I here preſend moſt ready at their cals.
And leaſt with careleſſe pen I ſhould omit
The wrongs that nature on their perſons wrought,
Or parching ſun with his hot firy rayes,
For theſe likewiſe relieuing meanes I ſought.
Nor Idle thoughts, nor raine ſurmiſed skils,
By fancie framde within a theorique braine,
My Muſe preſents vnto your ſacred eares :
To win your favours falſly I diſdaine.
From painefulle praiſe, from experience,
A ſound, though coſtly mysteries I deriue:
With firie flames in ſcorching Vulcans forge,
To teach and fine each ſecret I do striue.
Accept them well, and let my wearied muſe
Repoſe her ſelfe in ladies laps awhile.
So when ſhe wakes, ſhe happily may record
Her ſweeteſt dreames in ſome more pleaſing ſtile.
Supplying wāts that were by woodfals wrought:
Sometimes of tubs defended ſo by arte,
As fire in vaine hath their deſtruion ſought:
Sometimes I write of lasting Beuerage,
Great Neptune and his pilgrims to content:
Sometimes of food, ſweet, freſh, and durable,
To maintaine life, when all things els were ſpent:
Sometimes I write of ſundrie ſorts of ſoile,
Which neither Ceres nor her handmaides knew.
I write to all, but ſcarſly one beleeues,
Saue Diue and Denſhire, who haue found thē apt,
When heauens did mourne in cloudie mantles clad,
And threatned famine to the ſonnes of men:
When ſobbing rarth denied her kindly fruit
To painfull ploughmen and his hindes : euen then
I write relieuing remedies of dearth,
That oft might helpe where nature made a feile.
But all in vaine, theſe new borne babes of arte,
In their vntimely birth ſsraight way do quaile.
Of theſe and ſuch like other new found skills,
With painfull pen I whilorne wrote at larte,
Expeing ſtill my cocountries good therein,
And not reſpeing labour, time or charge:
But now my pen and paper are perfum'd,
I ſcorne to write with coppreſs, or wigh gall.
Barbarian canes are now become my quils,
Roſewater is the inke I wtire withall:
Of ſweetes the ſweeteth I will commend,
To ſweetest creatures that the earth doth beare:
Theſe are teh Saints to whole I ſacrifice
Preſerues and conſerues both of plum and peare.
Empaling no a lieu, tuſh archpane wal:
Are ſtrong enough, and beſt fefits our age:
Let pearting bullets turne to sugar bals,
The ſpaniſh fear is huſh : and all their rage.
Of marmelate and paſte of Genua,
Of musked ſugar I intend to wright,
Of Leach of Sucket, and Quidinia,
Affording to each Ladie her delight,
I teach both fruites and flowers to preſerue,
And candie them ſo Nugmegs, cloues, and mace,
To make both marchpane paſte, and ſugared place,
And caſt the ſame in formes of ſweeteſt grace,
Each bird and four ſo moulded from the life,
And after cast in ſweete compounds of arte,
As if the fleſh and forme which nature gave,
Did still remaine in euerie lim and part,
When cryſtall frothe haue rip the tender grape,
And cleane conſerue' a the fruits of euer is vine,
Yet heere behold the cluſters freſ.h and faire,
Fed from the branch, or hanging on the line,
The walnut, ſmall nut, and the cheſnut ſweete,
Whoſe ſurged kernels loſe their pleaſing taste,
And heere from yeere to yeere preſerued,
Are made by arte with ſtrongeſt fruits to laſt:
Th' artichoke, and the Apple of ſuch ſtrength,
The Quince, the Pomeganate, with the Barbery,
No ſugar vs'd, yet colour, taſte and ſmell,
And heere maintain'd and kept moſt naturally,
For Ladies cloſets and their stillatories.
Both waters, ointments and ſweet ſmelling bals,
In eaſie termes without affeed ſpeech,
I here preſend moſt ready at their cals.
And leaſt with careleſſe pen I ſhould omit
The wrongs that nature on their perſons wrought,
Or parching ſun with his hot firy rayes,
For theſe likewiſe relieuing meanes I ſought.
Nor Idle thoughts, nor raine ſurmiſed skils,
By fancie framde within a theorique braine,
My Muſe preſents vnto your ſacred eares :
To win your favours falſly I diſdaine.
From painefulle praiſe, from experience,
A ſound, though coſtly mysteries I deriue:
With firie flames in ſcorching Vulcans forge,
To teach and fine each ſecret I do striue.
Accept them well, and let my wearied muſe
Repoſe her ſelfe in ladies laps awhile.
So when ſhe wakes, ſhe happily may record
Her ſweeteſt dreames in ſome more pleaſing ſtile.
H. Plat
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