secretary hand

Well, if it’s fish Friday, the menu consisted of… fish! Just after the morning session, Star Chamber judges and privy councillors enjoyed an extravagant feast in the court’s inner chamber, averaging about 35 of these dinners a year.

Here’s a little transcription exercise for our Crocodile readers: Folger MS V.a.429, fol. 29r. This is the title of a recipe in a book of culinary and medical receipts compiled between approximately 1675 and 1750 by a few generations of…