". . . little shall I grace my cause

In speaking for myself. Yet, by your gracious patience,

I will a round unvarnish'd tale deliver . . ."

(William Shakespeare's Othello, I.iii.88-90)

Monday, February 14, 2011

And it tastes good, too!

From my 2011 Forgotten English calendar, here is part of the entry for Monday, February 14:

"In William Coles's Adam in Eden (1657), a love potion is mentioned: 'The confection made of cacao called chocolate, or chocoletto, which may be had in London at reasonable rates, is of wonderful efficacy for the procreation of children for it not only vehemently incites to Venus but causeth conception in women . . . . Besides that it preserves health, for it makes such as take it often to become fat and corpulent, fair and amiable.'"

Bet you didn't know your chocolate was doing all that! Go eat some more! (If you're married, that is--it is clearly only suitable for the hitched.) And have a happy Valentine's Day!

1 comment:

Untamed Shrew said...

"fat and corpulent".... Check.