Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 9, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 April 1881 — Extraordinary Banquets. [ARTICLE]

Extraordinary Banquets.

Diodorus Siculus relates that an Agrigentine, on the marriage of his daughter, feasted upward of 20,000 persons. The brother of the Emperor Yitellus once treated him with 2,000 fishes and 7,000 birds; all “scarce and exquisite.” •Heliogabalus, who was the first Roman that ever clad hi itself in silk, never ate fish when he resided near the sea; nor any fowls, or meat, but what came from a great distance. His horses he fed with grapes; his. lions and tigers with partridges, quails, pheasants and woodcocks; and his dogs with the livers of ducks, geese and turkeys ; while he ate for his daily food the heads of parrots and peacocks, the combs of cocks, and the brains of thrushes and nightingales. To these banquets he would frequently invite eight old men, blind of one eye ; eight bald; eight deaf; eight lame with the gout; eight black ; eight exceedingly tlun; and eight so fat that they could scarcely enter the room ; and who, when they had eaten as much as they desired, were obliged to be taken out of the apartment on the shoulders of several soldiers. At the installation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, in tne reign of Edward IV., the Right Reverend Primate gave a feast, in which were consumed 101 oxen, 304 calves, 306 swine, 1,000 sheep and 2,000 pigs; 104 peacocks, 400 swans, 1,000 capons, 2,000 geese, 5,500 venison pasties and 5,000 custards. There was also consumed 300 quarters of wheat, 300 tuns of ale, and 100 tons of wine. In the time of William of Rosenburg, the annual revenue of a small state was frequently expended at a marriage. This nobleman, being one of the richest in Bohemia, married Mary, Margravine of Baden.

At this marriage were drank 40 tuns of Spanish wine; 1,100 setiers of Austrian, Rhenian and Tyrolian wine ; beside vast quantities of liquors. The festivities began on the 26th day of January, 1378, and closed on the Ist of May; during which time there were consumed 150 oxen, 504 sheep, 546 calves and 634 hogs; 30 heathcocks, 240 pheasants, 2,050 partridges, and not less than 2,130 hares. Beside these, there were 120 pieces of other game and 40 stags. Of poultry, there were 3,100 capons and pullets, with 3,135 geese, garnished and attended with 30,997 eggs. The quantity of fish consumed was equally surprising, as most of them were river fish: 675 lampreys, 6,080 trout, 1,820 carp and 10,209 pike, beside 350 tails of stock-fish, 2,600 lobsters and 7,096 dried fish of different descriptions. At a dinner, given by Henry of Winchester. at the ntiptials of his sister-in-law, Cincia, with Prince Richard, celebrated at Westminster, Nov. 23, 1243, there were no less than 30,000 dishes. In the reign of Edward IY., the Earl of Warwick’s brother entertained a large portion of the nobility and clergy upon being installed Archbishop of York. At this feast were consumed 80 fat oxen, 6 wild bulls, 200 kids, 300 hogs, 300 calves, 300 pigs, 1,004 wethers and 4,000 rabbits; 100 peacocks, 200 cranes, 200 pheasants, 400 plovers, 300 partridges, 2,000 chickens, 2,000 woodcocks, 3,000 geese, 3,000 capons, 4,000 ducks and 4,000 pigeons; 400 bucks, does and roebucks; 1,506 hot venison pasties and 4,000 cold ones; 300 pikes, 300 breams, 4 porpoises and 8 seals; 400 tarts, 1,000 dishes of jelly parted; 4,000 dishes of plain jelly and 6,000 custards. There "were also consumed 300 quarters of wheat, a pipe of spiced wine, 350 tuns of ale and 104 pipes of wine.