CHAP. XXV
0f the Things which they commonly eat
Besides Bread and Fruit, of which we have spoken' already, they eat also Flesh, but not of all sorts of Beasts, for the Flesh of several Beasts, as has been formerly observ'd, is forbidden: But they are permitted to eat of Swine's Flesh, of all sorts of Fowl, except Pigeons and Turtles; of all sorts of Venison, except the Hart and the Doe, of all the Fish that swims in the Sea or the Rivers without any exception. They some times roast or boil their Flesh, but they know not what it is to stew any Meat, and therefore do not use it, though it is not forbidden. They commonly eat the Flesh of Venison and of Fowls raw: And, which may seem strange here in England, they eat Serpents also, which they look upon as very good Meat and very savoury, being broil'd upon the Coals: But before they cat them, they take care to extract all the Poison out of them, which they do after this manner: They take them when they are alive and beat them with Rods until they be very angry; and when they are in this furious passion, all the Venom that was in the Body ascends to the Head, which being then cut off, there remains no more Poison in the Body, which may therefore be safely eaten. They feed also upon Hen-eggs, Goose-eggs, and the like, and all sorts of wholesome Herbs and Roots.