wills;
marrow-spoons also, long and slender of bowl. The value of a dozen
silver spoons was given in 1689 as L5 13_s._ 6_d._ In succeeding years
each genteel family owned silver spoons, frequently in large number;
while one Boston physician, Dr. Cutter, had, in 1761, half a dozen gold
teaspoons.

Forks, or "tines," for cooking purposes, and "prongs" or "grains" or
"evils" for agricultural purposes, were imported at early dates; but I
think Governor Winthrop had the first table-fork ever brought to
America. In 1633, when forks were rare in England, he received a letter
from E. Howes, saying that the latter had sent to him a "case contain
containing an Irish skeayne or knife, a bodekyn & a forke for the useful
applycation of which I leave to your discretion." I am strongly
suspicious that Winthrop's discretion may not have been educated up to
usefully applying the fork for feeding purposes at the table. In the
inventory of the possessions of Antipas Boyes (made in 1669) a silver
spoon, fork, and knife are mentioned. Dr. Lyon gives the names of seven
New Englanders whose inventories date from 1671 to 1693, and who owned
forks. In 1673 Parson Oxenbridge had "one forked spoon," and his widow
had two silver forks. Iron forks were used in the kitchen, as is shown
in the inventory of Zerubbabel Endicott in 1683. And three-tined iron
forks were stuck into poor witch-ridden souls in Salem by William
Morse--his Daemon.

In 1718 Judge Sewall gave Widow Denison two cases with a knife and fork
in each, "one Turtleshell tackling the other long with Ivory handles
squar'd cost 4_s._ 6_d._" In 1738 Peter Fanueil ordered one dozen silver
forks from England, "with three prongs, with my arms cut upon them, made
very neat and handsome." One Boston citizen had in 1719 six four-pronged
forks, an early example of that fashion. In 1737 shagreen cases with
ivory-handled forks were advertised; bone, japanned metal, wood, and
horn handles also appeared--all, of course, with metal prongs. Sir
Francis Bernard had in 1770 three cases of china-handled knives and
forks, "with spoons to each," which must have formed a pretty table
furnishing.

In many New England inventories of the seventeenth century, among
personal belongings, appears the word taster. Thus in 1659 Richard Webb,
of Boston, left by will "1 Silver Wine Taster;" and in 1673 John
Oxenbridge had "1 Siluer Taster with a funnel." A taster was apparently
a small cup. Larger drinking-cups of