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A captivating biography that celebrates the audacious,
inspiring life and works of John Milton, revealing how
he speaks to our times.
John Milton is unrivalled — for the music of his verse
and the breadth of his learning. In this brisk, topical,
and engaging biography, Stephen B. Dobranski brushes
the scholarly dust from the portrait of the artist to
reveal Milton's essential humanity and his unwavering
commitment to ideals — freedom of religion and the
right and responsibility of all persons to think for
themselves — that are still relevant and necessary in
our times.

Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost, is considered by

many to be English poetry's masterpiece.
Samuel Johnson, not one for effusive praise, claimed
that from Milton's "books alone the Art of English
Poetry might be learned."
But Milton's renown rests on more than his artistic
achievements. In a time of convulsive political turmoil,
he justified the killing of a king, pioneered free speech,
and publicly defended divorce. He was, in short, an
iconoclast, an independent, even revolutionary, thinker.
He was also an imperfect man — acrimonious,
sometimes mean. Above all, he understood adversity.
Afflicted by blindness, illness, and political
imprisonment, Milton always sought to "bear up and
steer right onward" through life's hardships.

Dobranski looks beyond Milton's academic standing,

beyond his reputation as a dour and devout purist, to
reveal the ongoing power of his works and the
dauntless courage that he both wrote about and
exemplified.
Reading
John Milton
This page intentionally left blank
Reading
John Milton
How
to Per sist
in Troubled Ti mes

Stephen B. Dobranski

Stanford University Press

Stanford, California
S T A N F OR D U N I V E R S I T Y P R E S S
Stanford, California
© 2022 by Stephen B. Dobranski. All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system without the prior written permission
of Stanford University Press.
Printed in the United States of America on acid-­f ree, archival-­quality paper
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Dobranski, Stephen B., author.
Title: Reading John Milton : how to persist in troubled times / Stephen B.
Dobranski.
Description: Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, 2022. | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022004022 (print) | LCCN 2022004023 (ebook) | ISBN
9781503632707 (cloth) | ISBN 9781503633308 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Milton, John, 1608-1674. | Poets, English—Early modern,
1500-1700—Biography.
Classification: LCC PR3581 .D63 2022 (print) | LCC PR3581 (ebook) | DDC
821/.4 [B]—dc23/eng/20220425
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022004022
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022004023
Cover design: Rob Ehle
Cover art: Engraving of John Milton, ca. 1887. iStock
Typeset by Elliott Beard in ITC Galliard 10/15
To Shannon and Audrey,
yet once more and always
This page intentionally left blank
 He above the rest
In shape and gesture proudly eminent
Stood like a tow’r; his form had yet not lost
All her original brightness, nor appeared
Less than Archangel ruined, and th’ excess
Of glory obscured: as when the sun new ris’n
Looks through the horizontal misty air
Shorn of his beams, or from behind the moon
In dim eclipse disastrous twilight sheds
On half the nations, and with fear of change
Perplexes monarchs. Darkened so, yet shone
Above them all th’ Archangel: but his face
Deep scars of thunder had intrenched, and care
Sat on his faded cheek, but under brows
Of dauntless courage . . .
—­Paradise Lost, Book 1, lines 589–­603
 CONTENT S

List of Illustrations xi

Principal Events in John Milton’s Life xv

Introduction 1

ONE The Power of Language 9

T WO Personal Loss 33

THREE Combating Injustice 61

FOUR Physical Suffering 87

FIVE Free Speech 113

SIX Arrogance 135

SE VEN Forgiveness 165

EIGHT Resisting Temptation 191

NINE Doubt 213

TEN Surviving Disaster 237

Epilogue 257

Acknowledgments 267

Notes 269

Index 293
 LIS T OF ILLUS TR ATIONS

FIGURE 1. Portrait of John Milton (at age ten) 2

FIGURE 2. Robert Devereux 10

FIGURE 3. Ludlow Castle, the Round Chapel 21

FIGURE 4. Engraved title page of Comus: A Mask 23

by John Milton (1791)

FIGURE 5. William Blake, Illustration 1 to Milton’s

A Masque: Comus and His Revellers (c 1801). Pen and watercolor. 26

FIGURE 6. Portrait of Milton at age twenty-­one 30

after George Vertue, 1725

FIGURE 7. Engraving of Thomas Hobson by John Payne (1631) 47

FIGURE 8. Koblenzer Portrait of Sara Milton, the Author’s Mother 50

FIGURE 9. Frontispiece portrait of Milton (at age twenty-­one), 52

engraved by W. C. Edwards after Cornelius Jansen from
The Poetical Works of John Milton, 2 vols.
(New York: D. Appleton, 1856).

FIGURE 10. James Barry, Satan, Sin and Death 58

xi
xii L i s t o f I l l u s t r a t io n s

FIGURE 11. Lancelot Andrewes. Oil on canvas. 66

FIGURE 12. Charles I, King of England, from Three Angles by 70

Anthony Van Dyck, 1636. Oil on canvas. Royal Collection,
Windsor Castle, Berkshire.

Engraving of Charles II touching the scrofulous

FIGURE 13. 75
by R. White (1684)

FIGURE 14. Carisbrooke Castle 77

FIGURE 15. Frontispiece portrait of Charles I from 82

Eikon Basilike (London, 1649)

FIGURE 16. Oliver Cromwell by H. Robinson, based 91

on the painting by Robert Walker. Oil on canvas.

FIGURE 17. Milton and His Daughters by George Romney 108

from The Poetical Works of John Milton, 3 vols.,
ed. William Hayley (London, 1794–­1797)

FIGURE 18. William Prynne in the pillory 118

FIGURE 19. Title page of Areopagitica by John Milton 120

(London, 1644)

FIGURE 20. Dedication to the Tribune Tower 122

FIGURE 21. First page of the surviving manuscript 133

of Milton’s Christian Doctrine

FIGURE 22. Michael Burgesse, illustration opposite page 1, 141

in Milton, Paradise Lost (London, 1688)

FIGURE 23.John Martin, illustration for book I, line 314, in 143

The “Paradise Lost” of Milton with Illustrations,
Designed and Engraved by John Martin
(London: Septimus Prowett, 1825–­1827)

FIGURE 24.Frontispiece illustration of the War in Heaven 152

by Gustave Doré from Milton’s “Paradise Lost”
(London: Cassell, 1870)
 L i s t o f I l l u s t r a t io n s xiii

FIGURE 25.Illustration of Satan’s return to hell by Gustave Doré 156

from Milton’s “Paradise Lost” (London: Cassell, 1870)

FIGURE 26. As They Thirsted by Gustave Doré from 170

Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” edited with notes and a life of Milton by
Robert Vaughan (London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, 1866)

FIGURE 27.William Blake, Illustration to Milton’s 179

Paradise Lost: The Temptation and Fall of Eve. Watercolor.

FIGURE 28.Cromwell in the Battle of Naseby in 1645 (1851) 183

by Charles Landseer. Oil on canvas.

Adam Resolved to Share His Fate with Eve by

FIGURE 29. 186
Henry Fuseli from The Poetical Works of John Milton, 3 vols., ed.
William Hayley (London, 1794–­1797)

William Blake, Illustration 5 to Milton’s Paradise Lost:

FIGURE 30. 188
Satan Watching the Endearments of Adam and Eve (1807).
Pen and watercolor.

FIGURE 31. Charles II Landing in Dover amid 192

Popular Rejoicing. Etching by W. Sharp after B. West.

FIGURE 32. Illustration by J.M.W. Turner, The Temptation 203

on the Mountain, from The Poetical Works of John Milton, 3 vols.
(London: John Macrone, 1835)

FIGURE 33. Illustration by J.M.W. Turner, The Temptation on the 209

Pinnacle, from The Poetical Works of John Milton, 3 vols.
(London: John Macrone, 1835)

Illustration by Richard Westall,

FIGURE 34. 214
Milton Composing “Paradise Lost”

FIGURE 35.Samson in Chains from The Poetical Works of 222

John Milton, 3 vols., ed. William Hayley (London, 1794–­1797)

FIGURE 36. Samson and Delilah (1609–­1610) by 224

Peter Paul Rubens. Oil on panel.
xiv L i s t o f I l l u s t r a t io n s

FIGURE 37. Samson in Dagon’s Temple (1866). 232

Illustration by Gustave Doré.

FIGURE 38. The Great Fire of London, 1666 239

FIGURE 39. Milton’s Cottage by David Short 241

The Gates of Eden Open to Expel Adam and Eve (1805).

FIGURE 40. 252
By Moses Haughton after Johann Heinrich Fuseli.

Milton’s frontispiece portrait in Paradise Lost:

FIGURE 41. 258
A Poem in Twelve Books, 4th ed. (London, 1688)
 PRINCIPAL E VENT S IN JOHN MILTON’S LIFE

1608 9 DECEMBER: Milton is born in All Hallows Parish, in London, at

6:30 a.m.

1615 NOVEMBER: Milton’s brother Christopher is born at 5:00 a.m.

1620 Milton enters St Paul’s School, London, where he meets his best
friend, Charles Diodati.

1625 FEBRUARY: Milton is admitted to Christ’s College, Cambridge

University.

MARCH: Charles I becomes king.

1628 Milton’s first poem is printed, a Latin verse, now lost.

1629 JANUARY:Milton receives his BA degree from Christ’s College,

Cambridge.

MARCH: Charles I disbands Parliament and attempts to rule the

nation without a legislature, thus inaugurating his eleven-­year
“Personal Rule.”

DECEMBER: Milton composes “On the Morning of Christ’s

Nativity.”

1630 Milton composes “On Shakespeare.”

xv
xvi P r i n c i pa l E v e n t s i n Jo h n M i lt o n’s L i f e

1632 Milton’s “On Shakespeare” is his first English poem to be printed.

It appears anonymously at the start of Shakespeare’s Second Folio
under the title “An Epitaph on the admirable Dramaticke Poet W.
Shakespeare.”
Milton’s family moves to the suburban district of Hammersmith.

JULY: Milton earns his MA degree from Christ’s College,

Cambridge, and graduates cum laude; he joins his family in
Hammersmith.

1634 29 SEPTEMBER: Milton’s court drama, A Masque Presented at

Ludlow Castle, is performed.

1635 Milton moves with his parents to Horton, another suburban

district of London.

1637 Court musician Henry Lawes publishes A Masque Presented at

Ludlow Castle but without Milton’s name.

APRIL: Milton’s mother dies.

1638 Milton’s “Lycidas,” an ode about his late university acquaintance

Edward King, is published in a collection of commemorative
verses, Justa Edouardo King.

MAY: Milton leaves England for his Continental journey.

AUGUST: Charles Diodati dies.

1639 JULY:Milton returns to England, much earlier than he had

planned.

1640 Milton’s commemorative Latin poem to Charles Diodati,

“Epitaphium Damonis,” is published.

Milton moves to his own house in Aldersgate Street, opens a

grammar school, and begins teaching his first two pupils, his
nephews, John and Edward Phillips.

5 MAY: The First Civil War begins when Charles I dissolves

Parliament after only three weeks.
 P r i n c i pa l E v e n t s i n Jo h n M i lt o n’s L i f e xvii

1641 MAY: Milton’s first prose tract opposing the bishops in the Church
of England for being corrupt and self-­serving is published
anonymously, Of Reformation Touching Church-­Discipline in
England.
JUNE: Milton’s second prose tract opposing the bishops is
published anonymously, Of Prelatical Episcopacy.

Milton’s third prose tract opposing the bishops is published

JULY:
anonymously, Animadversions upon the Remonstrants Defence.

1642 JANUARY: Milton’s fourth prose tract opposing the bishops is

published, The Reason of Church-­Government. This is the first
time that his name appears in print.

APRIL: Milton’s fifth and final prose tract opposing the bishops
is published, An Apology Against a Pamphlet Called A Modest
Confutation.

2 SEPTEMBER: Parliament closes the theaters for the duration of the

civil wars.

JUNE: Milton travels to Oxfordshire and visits the Powell family.

JULY: Milton marries seventeen-­year-­old Mary Powell; he is

thirty-­t hree.
AUGUST: Mary Powell returns home to her family in Oxfordshire.

NOVEMBER: Milton composes Sonnet 8 (“O Captain or colonel”)

and hangs it on his door as London braces for a military attack.

1643 Milton’s sight begins to worsen around this time.

AUGUST: Milton publishes his first prose tract defending divorce in

cases of emotional incompatibility, The Doctrine and Discipline of
Divorce.

1644 FEBRUARY: Milton publishes a revised and expanded second

edition of The Doctrine and Discipline of Divorce.

JUNE: Milton publishes a tract on pedagogy, Of Education.

xviii P r i n c i pa l E v e n t s i n Jo h n M i lt o n’s L i f e

AUGUST: Milton publishes his second prose tract defending

divorce, The Judgment of Martin Bucer.

NOVEMBER: Milton publishes Areopagitica, a prose tract opposing

prepublication censorship.
1645 Mary Powell Milton returns to her husband in London after an
almost four-­year absence.

MARCH: Milton publishes his final two prose tracts defending

divorce, Colasterion and Tetrachordon.

Oliver Cromwell is appointed Lieutenant-­General of the

JUNE:
New Model Army.

14 JUNE: The Battle of Naseby is fought, a decisive military victory

for Parliament’s New Model Army.

SEPTEMBER: Milton moves to a house in Barbican Street.

NOVEMBER: William Marshall draws and engraves a portrait of

Milton to appear on the frontispiece of Poems of Mr. John Milton.

1646 JANUARY: Milton’s first collection of poetry is published, Poems

of Mr. John Milton, both English and Latin, Compos’d at Several
Times (dated 1645 because the new year then began in March).
5 MAY: Charles I surrenders to the Scottish army (marking the end
of the First Civil War).

JULY: Milton’s first daughter, Anne, is born.

1647 30 JANUARY:The Scottish army hands over Charles I to Parliament

(marking the start of the Second Civil War).

MARCH: Milton’s father dies.

1648 OC TOBER: Milton’s daughter Mary is born.

1649 JANUARY: King Charles I is tried, found guilty, and executed

(marking the end of the Second Civil War).

13 FEBRUARY: Milton publishes a tract arguing against the divine

right of kings, The Tenure of Kings and Magistrates; the next day,
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 COMPÔTE OF BARBERRIES FOR DESSERT.

When this fruit is first ripe it requires, from its excessive acidity,
nearly its weight of sugar to render it palatable; but after hanging
some time upon the trees it becomes much mellowed in flavour, and
may be sufficiently sweetened with a smaller proportion. According
to the state of the fruit then, take for each pound (leaving it in
bunches) from twelve to sixteen ounces of sugar, and boil it with
three-quarters of a pint of water until it forms a syrup. Throw in the
bunches of fruit, and simmer them for five or six minutes. If their
weight of sugar be used, they will become in that time perfectly
transparent. As all vessels of tin affect the colour of the barberries,
they should be boiled in a copper stewpan, or in a German
enamelled one, which would be far better.
Barberries, 1 lb.; sugar, 12 to 16 oz.; water, 3/4 pint; fruit simmered
in syrup, 5 to 6 minutes.
 BLACK CAPS PAR EXCELLENCE.

(For the Second-course, or for Dessert.)

Cut a dozen fine Norfolk biffins in two without paring them, scoop
out the cores, and fill the cavities with thin strips of fresh lemon-rind
and with candied orange-peel. Cover the bottom of a flat shallow tin
with a thick layer of fine pale brown sugar, press the two halves of
each apple together, and place them closely in the tin; pour half a
bottle of raisin or of any other sweet wine over them, and be careful
to moisten the tops of all; sift white sugar thickly on them, and set the
tin into a very hot oven at first, that the outsides of the apples may
catch or become black; then draw them to the mouth of the oven,
and bake them gently until they are soft quite through. The Norfolk
biffin answers for this dish far better than any other kind of apple, but
the winter queening, and some few firm sorts beside, can be used
for it with fair success. These for variety may be cored without being
divided, and filled with orange marmalade. The black caps served
hot, as a second-course dish, are excellent.
Norfolk biffins, 12; rinds fresh lemons, 1 to 2; candied orange-rind,
2 to 3 oz.; pale brown sugar, 3/4 lb.; raisin or other wine, 1/2 bottle;
little sifted sugar: 3/4 to 1 hour, or more.
Obs.—The apples dressed as above resemble a rich confection,
and will remain good for ten days or a fortnight; sometimes much
longer even. The receipt is an admirable one.
 GATEAU DE POMMES.

Boil together for fifteen minutes a pound of well-refined sugar and

half a pint of water; then add a couple of pounds of nonsuches, or of
any other finely-flavoured apples which can be boiled easily to a
smooth pulp, and the juice of a couple of small, or of one very large
lemon. Stew these gently until the mixture is perfectly free from
lumps, then boil it quickly, keeping it stirred, without quitting it, until it
forms a very thick and dry marmalade. A few minutes before it is
done add the finely grated rinds of a couple of lemons; when it
leaves the bottom of the preserving-pan visible and dry, press it into
moulds of tasteful form; and either store it for winter use, or if wanted
for table, serve it plain for rice-crust, or ornament it with spikes of
blanched almonds, and pour a custard round it for a second-course
dish (entremets).
Sugar, 1 lb.; water, 1/2 pint: 15 minutes. Nonsuches or other
apples, 2 lbs.; juice, 1 large or 2 small lemons: 2 hours or more.
 GATEAU OF MIXED FRUITS. (GOOD.)

Extract the juice from some fresh red currants by simmering them
very gently for a few minutes over a slow fire: strain it through a
folded muslin, and to one pound of it add a pound and a half of
nonsuches or of freshly gathered codlings, pared, and rather deeply
cored, that the fibrous part of the apple may be avoided. Boil these
quite slowly until the mixture is perfectly smooth, then, to evaporate
part of the moisture, let the boiling be quickened. In from twenty-five
to thirty minutes draw the pan from the fire, and throw in gradually a
pound and a quarter of sugar in fine powder: mix it well with the fruit,
and when it is dissolved continue the boiling rapidly for twenty
minutes longer, keeping the mixture constantly stirred; put it into a
mould, and store it, when cold, for winter use, or serve it for rice-
crust, or for the second course: in the latter case decorate it with
spikes of blanched almonds, or pistachio-nuts, and heap solid
whipped cream round it, or pour a custard into the dish. For rice-
crust it may be garnished with dice of the palest apple-jelly.
Juice of red currants, 1 lb.; nonsuches, or codlings (pared and
cored), 1-1/2 lb.: 25 to 30 minutes. Sugar, 1-1/2 lb.: 20 minutes.
Obs.—A portion of raspberries, if still in season, may be mixed
with the currants for this gâteau, should the flavour be liked.
For other and excellent varieties of gâteaux of fruit, see Newton
solid, and damson solid, Chapter XXIV. Ripe peaches and
nonsuches will likewise do well for it. Codlings answer perfectly for
the preceding receipt, and the preparation is of fine colour and very
pleasant flavour: it ought to cut in clear firm slices. Other varieties of
fruit can be mingled in the same manner.
 JELLIES.

CALF’S FEET JELLY. (ENTREMETS.)

We hear inexperienced
housekeepers frequently
complain of the difficulty of
rendering this jelly perfectly
transparent; but by mixing with
the other ingredients, while quite
cold, the whites, and the
crushed shells of a sufficient
number of eggs, and allowing
the head of scum which gathers
on the jelly to remain Modern Jelly Mould.
undisturbed after it once forms,
they will scarcely fail to obtain it
clear. It should be strained through a thick flannel, or beaver-skin,
bag of a conical form (placed before the fire, should the weather be
at all cold, or the mixture will jelly before it has run through), and if
not perfectly clear it must be strained, again and again, until it
becomes so; though we generally find that once suffices. Mix
thoroughly in a large stewpan five half-pints of strong calf’s feet stock
(see page 453), a full pint of sherry, half a pound of sugar roughly
powdered, the juice of two fine lemons, the rind of one and a half cut
very thin, the whites and shells of four large eggs, and half an ounce
of isinglass. Let these remain a few minutes off the fire, that the
sugar may dissolve more easily; then let the jelly be brought to boil
gradually, and do not stir it after it begins to heat. When it has boiled
gently for sixteen minutes, draw it from the fire, and let it stand a
short time before it is poured into a jelly-bag, under which a bowl
should be placed to receive it. When clear and cool, put it into
moulds which have been laid for some hours in water: these should
always be of earthenware in preference to metal. If to be served in
glasses, or roughed, the jelly will be sufficiently firm without the
isinglass, of which, however, we recommend a small quantity to be
thrown in always when the jelly begins to boil, as it facilitates the
clearing.
Calf’s feet stock, 2-1/2 pints; sugar, 1/2 lb.; sherry, 1 pint; juice of
lemons, 2 large; rind of 1-1/2; whites and shells of eggs, 4 large, or 5
small: 16 minutes.
Obs. 1.—After the jelly has dropped through the bag, an
exceedingly agreeable beverage may be obtained by pouring in
some boiling water; from one to three half pints, according to the
quantity of jelly which has been made. The same plan should be
pursued in making orange or lemon jelly for an invalid.
Obs. 2.—As it is essential to the transparency of calf’s feet jelly of
all kinds that the whole of the ingredients should be quite cold when
they are mixed, and as the stock can only be measured in a liquid
state, to which it must be reduced by heating, the better plan is, to
measure it when it is first strained from the feet, and to put apart the
exact quantity required for a receipt; but when this has not been
done, and it is necessary to liquefy it, it must be left until quite cold
again before it is used. For the manner of preparing and clarifying it,
see the beginning of this chapter.
 ANOTHER RECEIPT FOR CALF’S FEET JELLY.

To four calf’s feet well cleaned and divided, pour a gallon of water
and let them stew until it is reduced to rather less than two quarts; or
if, after the flesh has quite fallen from the bones, the liquor on being
strained off should exceed that quantity, reduce it by rapid boiling in
a clean uncovered pan over a very clear fire. When it is perfectly firm
and cold, take it clear of fat and sediment, and add to it a bottle of
sherry, which should be of good quality (for poor, thin wines are not
well adapted to the purpose), three-quarters of a pound of sugar
broken small, the juice of five large or of six moderate-sized lemons,
and the whites, with the shells finely crushed, of seven eggs, or of
more should they be very small. The rinds of three lemons, pared
exceedingly thin, may be thrown into the jelly a few minutes before it
is taken from the fire; or they may be put into the jelly-bag previously
to its being poured through, when they will impart to it a slight and
delicate flavour, without deepening its colour much. If it is to be
moulded, something more than half an ounce of isinglass should be
dropped lightly in where the liquid becomes visible through the head
of scum, when the mixture begins to boil; for if not sufficiently firm, it
will break when it is dished. It may be roughed, or served in glasses
without this addition; and in a liquid state will be found an admirable
ingredient for Oxford, or other punch.
Calf’s feet, 4; water, 1 gallon: to be reduced more than half.
Sherry, 1 bottle; sugar, 3/4 lb. (more to taste); juice of 5 large
lemons, or of six moderate-sized; whites and shells of 7 eggs, or
more if small; rinds of lemons, 3 (for moulding, nearly 3/4 oz. of
isinglass): 15 to 20 minutes.
Obs.—An excellent and wholesome jelly for young people may be
made with good orange or raisin wine, instead of sherry; to either of
these the juice of three or four oranges, with a small portion of the
rind, may be added instead of part of the lemons.
 MODERN VARIETIES OF CALF’S FEET JELLY.

In modern cookery a number of excellent jellies are made with the

stock of calves’ feet, variously flavoured. Many of them are
compounded entirely without wine, a small quantity of some fine
liqueur being used as a substitute; and sometimes cinnamon, or
vanilla, or Seville orange-rind with a slight portion of acid, takes
place of this. For aristocratic tables, indeed, it is the present fashion
to serve them very lightly and delicately flavoured. Their cost is thus
materially diminished. Fresh strawberries dropped into clear calf’s
feet jelly just before it sets, impart a delicious fragrance to it, when
they are of a choice kind; and other fruit is mingled with it often; but
none has so good an effect, though many sorts when tastefully
employed give an excellent appearance to it. The Belgrave mould, of
which the description will be found at page 470, is well adapted for
highly ornamental jellies; and we recommend its adoption for this
class of dishes.
 APPLE CALF’S FEET JELLY.

Pour a quart of prepared apple-juice (see page 456), on a pound

of fresh apples pared and cored, and simmer them until they are well
broken; strain the juice, and let it stand until cold; then measure, and
put a pint and a half of it into a stewpan with a quart of calf’s feet
stock (see page 453), nine ounces of sugar broken small, or roughly
pounded, the juice of two fine lemons, and the thin rinds of one and
a half, with the whites and shells of eight eggs. Let it boil gently for
ten minutes, then strain it through a flannel-bag, and when cool put it
into moulds. It will be very clear, and firm, and of pleasant flavour.
Apples of good quality should be used for it, and the quantity of
sugar must be regulated by the time of year, as the fruit will have lost
much of its acidity during the latter part of the season. This receipt,
which is the result of our own experiment, and which we have found
very successful, was first tried just after Christmas, with pearmains
and Ripstone pippins. A little syrup of preserved ginger, or a small
glass of fine white brandy, would, perhaps, to some tastes, improve
the jelly; but we give it simply as we have had it proved ourselves.
Prepared apple juice, 1 quart; fresh apples, 1 lb.: 1/2 to 3/4 hour.
Strained juice, 1-1/2 pint; calf’s feet stock, 1 quart; sugar, 9 oz.; juice
of lemons, 2; rind of 1-1/2; whites and shells of eggs, 8: 10 minutes.
Obs.—We would recommend the substitution of quinces for
apples in this receipt as likely to afford a very agreeable variety of
the jelly: or equal portions of the two fruits might answer well. Unless
the stock be very stiff, add isinglass to this, as to the calf’s feet jelly,
when it is to be moulded.
 ORANGE CALF’S FEET JELLY.

(Author’s Receipt.)
To a pint and a half of firm calf’s feet stock, put a pint of strained
China-orange juice mixed with that of one or two lemons; add to
these six ounces of sugar, broken small, the very thin rinds of three
oranges and one lemon, and the whites of six eggs with half the
shells crushed small. Stir these gently over a clear fire until the head
of scum begins to form, but not at all afterwards. Simmer the jelly for
ten minutes from the first full boil; take it from the fire, let it stand a
little, then pour it through a jelly-bag until perfectly clear. This is an
original, and entirely new receipt, which we can recommend to the
reader, the jelly being very pale, beautifully transparent, and delicate
in flavour: it would, we think, be peculiarly acceptable to such
invalids as are forbidden to take wine in any form.
The proportions both of sugar and of lemon-juice must be
somewhat varied according to the season in which the oranges are
used.
Strong calf’s feet stock, 1-1/2 pint; strained orange-juice, mixed
with a small portion of lemon-juice, 1 pint; sugar, 6 oz.; rinds of
oranges, 3; of lemon, 1: 10 minutes.
Obs.—A small pinch of isinglass thrown into the jelly when it
begins to boil will much assist to clear it. When the flavour of Seville
oranges is liked, two or three can be used with the sweet ones.
 ORANGE ISINGLASS JELLY.

To render this perfectly transparent the juice of the fruit must be

filtered, and the isinglass clarified; but it is not usual to take so much
trouble for it. Strain as clear as possible, first through a sieve or
muslin, then through a thick cloth or jelly bag, one quart of China
orange-juice, mixed with as much lemon-juice as will give it an
agreeable degree of acidity, or with a small proportion of Seville
orange-juice. Dissolve two ounces and a half of isinglass in a pint of
water, skim it well, throw in half a pound of sugar, and a few strips of
the orange-rind, pour in the orange-juice, stir the whole well together,
skim it clean without allowing it to boil, strain it through a cloth or
through a muslin, many times folded, and when nearly cold put it into
the moulds.[159] This jelly is sometimes made without any water, by
dissolving the isinglass and sugar in the juice of the fruit.
159. In France, orange-jelly is very commonly served in the halved rinds of the
fruit, or in little baskets made as we shall hereafter direct, page 466.

Orange-juice, 1 quart; water, 1 pint; isinglass, 2-1/2 oz.; sugar, 1/2

lb.
 VERY FINE ORANGE JELLY.

(Sussex Place Receipt.)

On two ounces and a half of the finest isinglass, pour a full but an
exact pint of spring water; press down the isinglass and turn it over
until the whole is well moistened; then place it over a gentle fire and
let it dissolve gradually; remove the scum after it has simmered for
two or three minutes, then pour it out, and set it aside to cool. In
another pint of spring water boil a pound of highly refined sugar for
five or six minutes; turn this syrup into a bowl, and when it is only just
warm, throw into it the very thinly pared rinds of two fine lemons, of
two Seville oranges, and of two China oranges, with the juice of five
China, and of two Seville oranges, and of three lemons. When this
mixture is cold, but not beginning to thicken, mix it well with the liquid
isinglass, and strain it through a fine lawn sieve, or through a square
of muslin folded in four; pour it into moulds which have been laid in
cold water, and when wanted for the table, loosen it from them by
wrapping about them, closely, a cloth which has been dipped into
boiling water, and by passing a knife round the edges.
Nothing can be more refined and delicate in flavour than the
above; but the appearance of the jelly may be improved by clarifying
the isinglass, and its colour by boiling the fruit-rinds in the syrup for
three or four minutes, and by leaving them in it until it is strained.
The oranges and lemons, if good, will yield from two-thirds to three-
quarters of a pint of juice, and the quantity of jelly will be sufficient to
fill one large high mould, or two smaller ones which contain about a
pint and a quarter each.
When the isinglass is clarified, allow half an ounce more of it; take
about a teaspoonful of the white of a fresh egg, beat it a little, add
the pint of cold water to it, whisk them together for a minute or two,
and then pour them on the isinglass; stir it occasionally as it is
heating, but not after the head of scum is formed: boil it gently for
two or three minutes, skim, and strain it. The oranges and lemons
should be dipped into fresh water and wiped dry before they are
pared; and should a muslin strainer (that is to say, a large square of
common clean muslin) be used for the jelly, it should be laid after
being washed in the usual manner into plenty of hot water, and then
into cold, and be well rinsed in, and wrung from each.
 ORANGES FILLED WITH JELLY.

This is one of the fanciful

dishes which make a pretty
appearance on a supper table,
and are acceptable when much
variety is desired. Take some
very fine China oranges, and
with the point of a small knife cut
out from the top of each a round
about the size of a shilling; then
with the small end of a tea or an
egg spoon, empty them entirely,
taking great care not to break
the rinds. Throw these into cold
water, and make jelly of the juice, which must be well pressed from
the pulp, and strained as clear as possible. Colour one half a fine
rose colour with prepared cochineal, and leave the other very pale;
when it is nearly cold, drain and wipe the orange rinds, and fill them
with alternate stripes of the two jellies; when they are perfectly cold
cut them into quarters, and dispose them tastefully in a dish with a
few light branches of myrtle between them. Calf’s feet or any other
variety of jelly, or different blancmanges, may be used at choice to fill
the rinds; the colours, however, should contrast as much as possible.
 TO MAKE ORANGE BASKETS FOR JELLY.

The oranges for these should be large. First, mark the handle of
the basket evenly across the stalk end of the fruit with the back of a
small knife, or with a silver one, and let it be quite half an inch wide;
then trace a line across from one end of the handle to the other
exactly in the middle of the orange, and when the other side is
marked in the same way, cut just through the rind with the point of a
penknife, being careful not to pierce the fruit itself; next, with a tea or
dessertspoon, take of the quartered rind on either side of the handle;
pass a penknife under the handle itself; work the point of a spoon
gently between the orange and the basket, until they are separated
in every part; then take the fruit between the thumb and fingers, and
press it carefully out through one of the spaces on either side of the
handle.
Baskets thus made may be filled with any of the jellies of which the
receipts are given here: but they should be nearly cold before they
are poured in; and they ought also to be very clear. Some of the
baskets may be filled with ratifias, and dished alternately with those
which contain the jelly.
 LEMON CALF’S FEET JELLY.

Break up a quart of strong calf’s feet stock, which should have

been measured while in a liquid state; let it be quite clear of fat and
sediment, for which a small additional quantity should be allowed;
add to it a not very full half-pint of strained lemon-juice, and ten
ounces of sugar, broken small (rather more or less according to the
state of the fruit), the rind of one lemon pared as thin as possible, or
of from two to three when a full flavour of it is liked, and the whites
with part of the shells crushed small, of five large or of six small
eggs. Proceed as for the preceding jellies, and when the mixture has
boiled five minutes throw in a small pinch of isinglass; continue the
boiling for five or six minutes longer, draw the pan from the fire, let it
stand to settle; then turn it into the jelly-bag. We have found it always
perfectly clear with once passing through; but should it not be so,
pour it in a second time.
Strong calf’s feet stock, 1 quart; strained lemon-juice, short 1/2
pint; sugar, 10 oz. (more or less according to state of fruit); rind of
from 1 to 3 large lemons; whites and part of shells of 5 large or 6
small eggs: 5 minutes. Pinch of isinglass: 5 minutes longer.
Obs.—About seven large lemons will produce the half pint of juice.
This quantity is for one mould only. The jelly will be found almost
colourless unless much of the rinds be used, and as perfectly
transparent as clear spring water: it is also very agreeable in flavour.
For variety, part of the juice of the fruit might be omitted, and its
place supplied by maraschino, or any other rich white liqueur of
appropriate flavour; and to render it safer eating, some syrup of
preserved ginger would be an excellent addition.
 CONSTANTIA JELLY.

Infuse in a pint of water for five minutes the rind of half a Seville
orange, pared extremely thin; add an ounce of isinglass; and when
this is dissolved throw in four ounces of good sugar in lumps; stir
well, and simmer the whole for a few minutes, then mix with it four
large wineglassesful of Constantia, and strain the jelly through a fine
cloth of close texture; let it settle and cool, then pour it gently from
any sediment there may be, into a mould which has been laid for an
hour or two into water. We had this jelly made in the first instance for
an invalid who was forbidden to take acids, and it proved so
agreeable in flavour that we can recommend it for the table. The
isinglass, with an additional quarter of an ounce, might be clarified,
and the sugar and orange-rind boiled with it afterwards.
Water, 1 pint; rind, 1/2 Seville orange: 5 minutes. Isinglass, 1 oz.;
sugar, 4 oz.: 5 to 7 minutes. Constantia, 4 large wineglassesful.
 RHUBARB ISINGLASS JELLY.

(Author’s Original Receipt. Good.)

A jelly of beautiful tint, and excellent flavour, may be made with
fresh young rhubarb-stems, either of the giant or dwarf kind, if they
be of a bright pink colour. Wash, and drain or wipe them; slice
without paring them, taking them quite free from any coarse or
discoloured parts. Put two pounds and a half, and a quart of water
into an enamelled stewpan, which is more suitable to the purpose
than any other; throw in two ounces of sugar in lumps, and boil the
rhubarb very gently for twenty minutes, or until it is thoroughly
stewed, but not sufficiently so to thicken the juice. Strain it through a
muslin folded in four; measure a pint and a half of it; heat it afresh in
a clean pan; add an ounce and a half of the finest isinglass, and six
ounces or more of the best sugar in large lumps; stir it often until the
isinglass is entirely dissolved, then let it boil quickly for a few minutes
to throw up the scum; clear this off carefully, and strain the jelly twice
through a muslin strainer,[160] folded as the first; let it cool, and
mould it as usual.
160. These muslin strainers should be large, as it is necessary to fold them in
general to a quarter of their original size, to render them sufficiently thick for
clearing juice or jelly.
 STRAWBERRY ISINGLASS JELLY.

A great variety of equally elegant and excellent jellies for the table
may be made with clarified isinglass, clear syrup, and the juice of
almost any kind of fresh fruit; but as the process of making them is
nearly the same for all, we shall limit our receipts to one or two,
which will serve to direct the makers for the rest. Boil together
quickly for fifteen minutes one pint of water and three-quarters of a
pound of very good sugar; measure a quart of ripe richly-flavoured
strawberries without their stalks; the scarlet answer best, from the
colour which they give: on these pour the boiling syrup, and let them
stand all night. The next day clarify two ounces and a half of
isinglass in a pint of water, as directed at the beginning of this
chapter; drain the syrup from the strawberries very closely, add to it
two or three tablespoonsful of red currant juice, and the clear juice of
one large or two small lemons; and when the isinglass is nearly cold
mix the whole, and put it into moulds. The French, who excel in
these fruit-jellies, always mix the separate ingredients when they are
almost cold; and they also place them over ice for an hour or so after
they are moulded, which is a great advantage, as they then require
less isinglass, and are in consequence much more delicate. When
the fruit abounds, instead of throwing it into the syrup, bruise lightly
from three to four pints, throw two tablespoonsful of sugar over it,
and let the juice flow from it for an hour or two; then pour a little
water over, and use the juice without boiling, which will give a jelly of
finer flavour than the other.
Water, 1 pint; sugar, 3/4 lb.: 15 minutes. Strawberries, 1 quart;
isinglass, 2-1/2 oz.; water, 1 pint (white of egg, 1 to 2 teaspoonsful);
juice, 1 large or 2 small lemons.
 FANCY JELLIES.

Description of
Belgrave Mould.
Figure No. 1,
represents the
mould in its
entireness. No. 2,
shows the interior
of it (inverted). A is
a thin metal plate
which when turned
downwards forms
the bottom of the
No. 1. mould, and which No. 2.
is perforated in six
places to permit
the fluted columns B to pass through it. There is also a larger
aperture in the middle to admit the centre cylinder. The plate is fixed,
and the whole is held in its place by the part which folds over the
larger scallop D at either end. There is also a cover which fits to the
mould, and which is pressed on it before it is dipped into water, to
prevent its getting into the cylinders.
Transparent jelly is shown to much
advantage, and is particularly brilliant in
appearance, when moulded in shapes
resembling that of the engraving here,
which are now very commonly used for the
purpose.
The centre spaces can be filled, after the
jelly is dished, with very light whipped
cream, coloured and flavoured so as to eat
agreeably with it, and to please the eye as well: this may be
tastefully garnished with preserved, or with fresh fruit; but one of