ROYAL DIET OF VIPERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 234, 3 October 1935, Page 27

ROYAL DIET OF VIPERS.

When Queen Mary of Scots was 10 years old she was betrothed to the Dauphin of France, afterwards Francis 11., then aged 11. In 1552 she paid him a visit at Amboise in Totiraijie. What the Royal children had to eat is shown in a parchment strip in the possession of Mr. Andre Simon, president of the Wine and Food Society, of Felbridge, near East Grinstead, Sussex.

Mary and Francis, the younger children of the French Royal House, were not given milk. Each day they drank 50 "setiers" of wine. "It being a day of abstinence," the fishmonger supplied "tortoise, oysters, sole, cod, pike, roach, carp, gudgeon and four vipers." The servants had no tortoise, but they had 100 oysters. 200 white and red herrings, 1-1 plaice, GO whiting, one big turbot and two salt salmon. Each day 700 eggs, 1191b of butter and 371b of candles were supplied. In another parchment account of the same year, 200 frogs were ordered for the Royal kitchen. The servants had to be content with 24 adders. Mr. Simon has manuscript accounts of the dinners held several times a year by the Star Chamber from the time of Henry VIII. to Charles I. One account, signed by Wulsey, is for Uloß 8/4 for one dinner.