higher orders of society, who invested large amounts
of money in vessels of the precious metals and of crystal, which
were sometimes set with precious stones and were always of the most
beautiful patterns and of odd and elaborate forms. To such lengths
went personal pride in the appearance of the dresser, that points of
etiquette were raised by careful housewives as to how many steps, or
gradations on which the rows of plate were placed above each other,
members of the different ranks of society might have on their
cupboards. Five for a princess of royal blood, four for noble ladies
of the highest rank, three for nobility under the rank of duke, two
for knights-bannerets, and one for persons who were merely of gentle
blood, was fixed as proper form. Dinner was still served in three
courses, without any great distinction in the character of the dishes
served at each course. One of the writers of the times says: "In
number of dishes and changes of meat the nobility of England do most
exceed." "No day passes but they have not only beef, mutton, veal,
lamb, kid, pork, coney, capon, pig, or so many of them as the season
yields, but also fish in variety, venison, wildfowl, and sweets." As
there were but two full meals in the day, and as the households of the
nobility, including the many servants and retainers, were large, and
as it was the practice for the chief servants to dine with the family
and the guests, it will be seen that a large and varied supply of food
was needed. The upper table having been served, the lower servants
were supplied, and what remained was bestowed upon the poor, who
gathered in great numbers at the gates of the nobility to receive
the leavings from their meals. It can be seen that the labors of the
women in supervising the affairs of the household were onerous. Among
gentlemen and merchants, four, five, or six dishes sufficed, and if
there were no guests, two or three. Fish was the article of greatest
consumption among the poor, and could be obtained at all seasons.
Fowls, pigeons, and all kinds of game were abundant and cheap. Butter,
milk, cheese, and curds were "reputed as food appurtenant to the
inferior sort." The very poor usually had enough ground in which to
raise cabbages, parsnips, carrots, pumpkins, and such like vegetables,
which constituted their principal food, and of which both the raising
and the preparation for the table were largely the work of the women.
Among the lower classes, t