25.
Well after making this three times in the last year I should probably post it here.
Today’s comes from “The Good Huswifes Jewell” published in 1596. As far as I can tell the Turkey came back to Spain very early after discovering the New World; and by the 1530s it was common enough in England to be anecdotaly one of the king’s favorite meals. By the 1590s it begins appearing in cookery books.
This is part of an ongoing project to summarize and provide SCA focused commentary on The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence by Joseph Swetnam, published in 1617.
For links to the other sections of the Swetnam Project please go here.
I am using this facsimile: http://tysonwright.com/sword/SwetnamSchooleOfDefence.pdf for the project.
This chapter lays out all the ways that a coward avoids a true show of his skill.
The first way to know a coward is that he will carry a lot of weapons. Swetnam is quick to point out that he doesn’t call all men who go about heavily armed cowards, but he says that if you pay attention you can tell which is which.
When a coward is challenged he will mention several places for the combat, but then will pick the location when only the challenger and he knows where it is. He will then go to a different spot which he had mentioned previously and brag to everyone that he was there to fight the challenger but they didn’t show up, because the challenger is at the actual location.
This is part of an ongoing project to summarize and provide SCA focused commentary on The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence by Joseph Swetnam, published in 1617.
For links to the other sections of the Swetnam Project please go here.
I am using this facsimile: http://tysonwright.com/sword/SwetnamSchooleOfDefence.pdf for the project.
This chapter has two purposes. The first is to remind us that skill is something that can always increase, and the second is a condemnation of telling tales or gossip.
Swetnam begins this chapter by giving a disclaimer that though perfect skill is what we aspire to, it is also impossible to reach. Even if a man traveled the entire earth or soared through the sky, or dove to the bottom of the seas he would not achieve perfect skill.
“[skill] is so large that I cannot compas it, so high I cannot reach it, and so deepe a hidden secret, that I cannot sound the bottom of it; for I cannot travaile so far, climbe so high, nor wade so deepe”
This is part of an ongoing project to summarize and provide SCA focused commentary on The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence by Joseph Swetnam, published in 1617.
For links to the other sections of the Swetnam Project please go here.
I am using this facsimile: http://tysonwright.com/sword/SwetnamSchooleOfDefence.pdf for the project.
This chapter is a brief overview of the types of weapons that are currently used and some philosophy on the use and knowledge of weapons.
Mankind was created without natural weapons. We have hands to push away that which annoys, and feet to run from that which scares us. But other creatures are naturally armed with teeth, claws, horns, beaks, venom, etc.
This is part of an ongoing project to summarize and provide SCA focused commentary on The Schoole of the Noble and Worthy Science of Defence by Joseph Swetnam, published in 1617.
For links to the other sections of the Swetnam Project please go here.
I am using this facsimile: http://tysonwright.com/sword/SwetnamSchooleOfDefence.pdf for the project.
This chapter discusses the difference between a cowardice, anger, valour, and skill. We’ve dipped back into philosophy here, but Swetnam also brings up one of his most important concepts.
Fear is an enemy of valour; the fearful man will always outwardly excuse others insults even when they are inexcusable, but will remember them and will get his revenge by subtle means such as obtaining an office which he can exploit to avenge a past wrong. Only when there is great need does the coward show valour
23. 24.
This past weekend my wife and I went to July Coronation. It was a very long court for me to have forgotten my chair, but some very well deserving people were recognized.
After court we went back to Mistress Safiye’s sunshade and got out the brazier, filled it with charcoal, and got to work. It was flatbread day. I’d been planning this one for a while, so I’m very happy with how it turned out.
I did two different versions. One standard flatbread and one desert flatbread.
The first was translated in Medieval cuisine of the Islamic World by Lilia Zaouali. But me being stupid forgot to write down the page number or which manuscript it was from originally.
Take semolina and moisten it, energetically mixing with a little water and salt. Divide the dough into pieces and knead each piece with clarified butter. Roll it out, first by hand and then with a rolling pin, fold it, add clarified butter, and roll it out again to obtain a very thin layer. For this purpose use a shaubak, which is a piece of carved wood, thick in the center and thin at the extremities. Small lumps of dough can be rolled out three at a time, placing one on top of the other with clarified butter between each layer.
Heat an iron skillet or one of unglazed clay. Take a piece of the rolled out dough and heat it until it has become white and lost all its moisture, at which point remove it from the fire and beat it with the hands in order to separate the layers.