Sallet

“ What shall we add more? Our Gardens present us with them all; and whilst the Shambles are cover'd with Gore and Stench, our Sallets scape the Insults of the Summer Fly, purifies and warms the Blood against Winter Rage: Nor wants there Variety in more abundance, than any of the former Ages could shew.
Survey we their Bills of Fare, and Numbers of Courses serv'd up by Athenæus, drest with all the Garnish of Nicander and other Grecian Wits: What has the Roman Grand Sallet worth the naming? Parat Convivium, The Guests are nam'd indeed, and we are told ”

“ What Care and Circumspection should attend the choice and collection of Sallet Herbs, has been partly shew'd. I can therefore, by no means, approve of that extravagant Fancy of some, who tell us, that a Fool is as fit to be the Gatherer of a Sallet as a Wiser Man. Because, say they, one can hardly choose amiss, provided [54] the Plants be green, young, and tender, where-ever they meet with them: But sad experience shews, how many fatal Mistakes have been committed by those who took the deadly Cicutæ, Hemlocks, Aconits, &c. ”

“ But eaten with Oyl and Vinegar, as usually, it is no despicable Sallet. There is a Beet growing near the Sea, which is the most delicate of all. The Roots of the Red Beet, pared into thin Slices and Circles, are by the French and Italians contriv'd into curious Figures to adorn their Sallets.
6. Blite, Blitum; English Mercury, or (as our Country House wives call it) All-good, the gentle Turiones, and Tops may be eaten as Sparagus, or sodden in Pottage: There is both a white and red, much us'd in Spain and Italy; but besides its humidity and detersive Nature, 'tis Insipid enough. ”

“ The Tops and young Shoots, like those of Rochet, never to be secluded our Composition, especially where there is much Lettuce. 'Tis highly cordial and friendly to the Head, Heart, Liver, correcting the weakness of the Ventricle, &c.
68. Thistle, Carduus Mariæ; our Lady's milky or dappl'd Thistle, disarm'd of its Prickles, is worth esteem: The young Stalk about May, being peel'd and soak'd in Water, to extract the bitterness, boil'd or raw, is a very wholsome Sallet, eaten with Oyl, Salt, and Peper; some eat them sodden in proper Broath, or bak'd in Pies, like the Artichoak ”

“ Take the breast of a hen or Capon, and slice it as thin as you can in steaks, put therein Vinegar, and a little Sugar as you thinke fit, then take six Anchoves, and a handfull of Capers, a little long, grosse or a carrigon, and mince them together, but not too small, strew them on the Sallet, Garnish it with Lemons, Oranges or barberies, so serve it up with a little salt. ”

“ And therefore my Lord 69Bacon shews what are best Raw, what Boil'd, and what Parts of Plants fittest to nourish. Galen indeed seems to exclude them all, unless well accompanied with their due Correctives, of which we have taken care: Notwithstanding yet, that even the most Crude and Herby, actually Cold and Weak, may potentially be Hot, and Strengthning, as we find in the most vigorous Animals, whose Food is only Grass. 'Tis true indeed, Nature has providentially mingl'd, and dress'd a Sallet for them in every field, besides what they distinguish by Smell ”

“ The Welch, who eat them much, are observ'd to be very fruitful: They are also friendly to the Lungs and Stomach, being sod in Milk; a few therefore of the slender and green Summities, a little shred, do not amiss in Composition. See Onion.
34. Lettuce, Lactuca: Tho' by Metaphor call'd 18Mortuorum Cibi, (to say nothing of 19Adonis and his sad Mistriss) by reason of its Soporiferous quality, ever was, and still continues the principal Foundation of the universal Tribe of Sallets; which is to Cool and Refresh, besides its other Properties: And therefore in such high esteem with the Ancients ”

“ Garlick, Allium; dry towards Excess; and tho' both by Spaniards and Italians, and the more Southern People, familiarly eaten, with almost every thing, and esteem'd of such sigular Vertue to help Conception, and thought a Charm against all Infection and Poyson (by which it has obtain'd the Name of the Country-man's Theriacle) we yet think it more proper for our Northern Rustics, especially living in Uliginous and moist places, or such as use the Sea: Whilst we absolutely forbid it entrance into our Salleting, by reason of its intolerable Rankness, and which made it so detested of old ”

“ La Salle looked down from his rock on a concourse of wild human life. Lodges of bark and rushes, or cabins of logs, were clustered on the open plain or along the edges of the bordering forests. Squaws labored, warriors lounged in the sun, naked children whooped and gambolled on the grass. Beyond the river, a mile and a half on the left, the banks were studded once more with the lodges of the Illinois, who, to the number of six thousand, had returned, since their defeat, to this their favorite dwelling-place. ”

“ The Sultan bade his captains be seated, and seeing their terrible thirst, commanded slaves to bring a great bowl of sherbet made of rose-water cooled with snow, and with his own hand gave it to king Guy. He drank in great gulps, then passed the bowl to Reginald de Chatillon, whereon Saladin cried out to Godwin:
“Say to the king it is he and not I who gives this man to drink. There is no bond of salt between me and the prince Arnat.” ”

“ Here we found evidences of genuine industry. Wherever it is possible, vines are planted and carefully tended, so that the face of the country assumes quite a cheerful and prosperous aspect.
The city of es-Salt, lying as it does on the steep slope of a valley, is not seen until one is fairly upon it. The name es-Salt is evidently derived from salton hieraticon—“the sacred forest.” The inhabitants may number in all some seven thousand, of whom the great majority are Moslems. With the Christians, however, they continue to dwell together in harmony. ”

“ So, in the autumn of 1677, leaving his fort and seigniory in charge of a trusted lieutenant, La Forest, who was also one of his partners in the proposed fur-trade, La Salle sailed again for France. There, lodged modestly in a rather obscure quarter of Paris, he renewed the friendships and associations which he had formed during his previous visit; and added to them by making new and valuable friends. Among these were the Marquis de Seignelay, the Prince de Conti, La Motte de Sussière, and last but not least, Henri de Tonti, thenceforth his foremost companion in his Western labors. ”

“ I travelled hither all the way from Saltzbourg, with the same Horses, which is what I will never do again; for travelling by Post is always best; and though 'tis more expensive, yet on the other hand 'tis less fatiguing.
Three Leagues from Saltzbourg stands the little Town of Halle, which belongs to the Elector of Bavaria, and is a Place considerable for its Salt-Pits. It lies in a small Valley crossed by three Rivers, form'd by Torrents from the Mountains, which bring down a vast quantity of floating Wood, that is stopp'd at Halle by the Piles which either cross or shut up the Rivers. ”

“ Dollier, with most of the men, remained to guard the canoes; while La Salle, with Galinée and eight other Frenchmen, accompanied by a troop of Indians, set out on the morning of the twelfth, and reached the principal village before evening. It stood on a [Pg 21] hill, in the midst of a clearing nearly two leagues in compass. [13] A rude stockade surrounded it; and as the visitors drew near they saw a band of old men seated on the grass, waiting to receive them. ”

“ Never, under the impenetrable mail of paladin or crusader, beat a heart of more intrepid mettle than within the stoic panoply that armed the breast of La Salle. To estimate aright the marvels of his patient fortitude, one must follow on his track through the vast scene of his interminable journeyings,—those thousands of weary miles of forest, marsh, and river, where, again and again, in the bitterness of baffled striving, the untiring pilgrim pushed onward towards the goal which he was never to attain. ”

“ Saladin had taken the place in July 1187; he was fully alive to its importance, and it was strongly garrisoned and well provisioned when at the end of August 1189 King Guy of Jerusalem, having made his way down from Antioch, collecting forces as he went from among the natives of the land and the newly enlisted Crusaders who during the last year had been arriving in small parties at the few northern sea-ports still in Christian hands, set to 1189
Aug. work to begin the re-conquest of his kingdom by laying siege to Acre with about ten thousand men. ”

“ A very rough, bad time had the men of Sarlat during the long years that they were fighting intermittently for their lives and property with the lawless bands of so-called English, who had turned so many rocks into fastnesses, and who issued from their fortified caverns, that they made almost impregnable, to prey upon the unfortunate people who strove to live by husbandry. ”

“ The king, with a few of the remaining nobles, including Renaud de Chatillon, were brought before Saladin in his tent. There occurred a scene strangely typical of the mingled strains in the creed or the culture that triumphed on that day; the stately Eastern courtesy and hospitality; the wild Eastern hatred and self-will. Saladin welcomed the king and gracefully gave him a cup of sherbet, which he passed to Renaud. ”

“ There is, however, an old Sarlat that lies a little off the main artery, and which a lazy visitor who does not like the trouble of asking questions might easily miss. There are few scenes more original and picturesque in France than that presented by the ruinous old church, half open to the weather, and the ancient houses that form a framework round it. Under the lofty Gothic vaulting are wooden shops and shanties, and, looking up, you see the smoke from bakers' ovens hanging about the ribs of the great arches, which it has blackened. ”

“ But then a strange change came over Saladin. He no sooner had charge of men than he ceased to be a thoughtless lad, and became a serious leader of armies. Instead of growing slowly, as most people do, he seemed to change all at once from a playful, self-willed child to a strong man, who could bear all hardships to gain his end. Soon the [Pg 56] ruler of Egypt died, and Saladin reigned in his place. Ere long he was Lord of Bagdad too, and that meant that he had power over the whole Moslem world.
During all this time the kings of Jerusalem were weak, powerless men. ”

“ On one of the planks were written the words: "Nous sommes tous sauvages: ce 15, 1680,"—the work, no doubt, of the knaves who had pillaged and destroyed the fort.
La Salle and his companions hastened on, and during the following day passed four opposing camps of the savage armies. The silence of death now reigned along the deserted river, whose lonely borders, wrapped deep in forests, seemed lifeless as the grave. As they drew near the mouth of the stream they saw a meadow on their right, and on its farthest verge several human figures, erect, yet motionless. ”

“ Salzburg (28) , the capital, occupies a fine site on the hill-girt banks of the Salzach (crossed by 3 bridges) , 80 m. E. by S. of Münich; is a handsome and interesting city, with many fine old buildings, including a cathedral, archbishop's palace, imperial palace, monasteries, &c.; has a theological college, libraries, &c.; birthplace of Mozart; manufactures musical instruments, &c.
Salzkammergut (18) , a beautiful mountain district of Austria, between Salzburg (W.) and Styria (E.) ; salt mines and springs give a rich yield of salt. ”

“ They wished to extend a thin line of settlements along the front of their island, to form a sort of outpost, from which an alarm could be given on any descent of the Iroquois. La Salle was the man for such a purpose. Had the priests understood him,—which they evidently did not, for some of them suspected him of levity, the last foible with which he could be charged,—had they understood him, they would have seen in him a young man in whom the fire of youth glowed not the less ardently for the veil of reserve that covered it; who would shrink from no danger, but would not court it in bravado ”

“ On this one point she was like a rock; a polite rock, against which persuasions, though received sweetly and amiably, should beat in vain. So the Duke had the little house fitted up with every known labour-saving appliance, none of which Sally would use because of having been brought up to believe only in elbow-grease, and two bathrooms, one for her and one for Jocelyn; and he attached such importance to these bathrooms, and he insisted so obstinately on their being built, that Sally could only conclude the picks must need a terrible lot of washing. ”

“ La Salle rose and harangued the concourse. Few men were so skilled in the arts of forest rhetoric and diplomacy. After the Indian mode, he was, to follow his chroniclers, "the greatest orator in North America." [226] He began with a gift of tobacco, to clear the brains of his auditory; next, for he had brought a canoe-load of presents to support his eloquence, he gave them cloth to cover their dead, coats to dress them, hatchets to build a grand scaffold in their honor, and beads, bells, and trinkets of all sorts, to decorate their relatives at a grand funeral feast. ”

“ His forces [660] gradually increased till they became immense; and, owing to the skill of those by whom he was accompanied, rather than his own, the camp of Lusignan was fortified in such a manner that no efforts of the Saracens could penetrate its lines. Saladin pitched his tents on the mountains to the south, not long after the Christians had undertaken the siege, and innumerable battles in the open field succeeded, in which neither army gained any material advantage that was not compensated by some following reverse. ”