The Kitchen of Mirth
A fresh Salmon

The good, old, and truely right Honourable Charles Earle of Nottingham, Lord High Admirall of England, whose renowned memory shall nver bee forgotten untill his bounteous Houskeeping bee generally imitated. He being at his House at Chelsey, and looking upon certaine Fishermen that were fishing in the Thames with their Salmon-Net, his Lordship call'd to them, and said, My friends, if you take a Salmon, and bring him a shoare living, that I may see it move, and live, I will give you your price for it: The Fisherman answer'd, (My good Lord) I hope wee shall bee able to present your Honour with such a Fish as you desire; so they drew their Net to Land, and caught a very faire Salmon. (My Lord standing on the Land looking on them) To whom the Fisherman said, my Lord, I have him, and you shall have him straite: So the poore man tooke off his leather-girdle, which had fastned to it a little Pouch, with ten pence in money in it, and as he had put the girdle through the gill of the Salmon to hold it the faster, the Fish being a strong lively fish, gave a suddaine flirt or spring out of the mans armes into the River againe with the girdle in the gill, and the Pouch with ten-pence; which Salmon did shoote up the River the same Tide, from Chelsey to Hammersmith, and there it was taken by another Fisherman, and the Girdle with the pouch with it, which was restor'd to the right owner, and the Fisherman contentedly rewarded for the same by the bounteous Noble-man afore-named.

A salmon


  • A fresh Salmon. Source: Taylor, John. Taylor's Feast. London: Printed by J. Okes dwelling in little St. Bartholmews, 1638

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