Aromatic  spices  and  warm  seeds
were  much  more  frequently  used  at
doaert  a  century  and  a  half  ago  than
in  our  own  day.  After  dinner,  says
the  work  called  Les  THotf^hes  de  ia
NMe  Dame^  ^  on,  sert  ches  les  riches,
pour  fidre  la  digestion,  de  Tanis  du
fi»ionU  et  de  la  coriandre  oonfits  au
suae.**    The  amthor  of  A  dM  JECer-


mtiphtodlSss^  in  painting  the  manners
(^  the  court  of  Henry  in.,  makes
the  same  remark.  After  the  dessert,
says  he»  ^  Les  nns  prenoient  un  peu
d*anis  confit,  les  autres,  ootignac,  mais
il  iUlolt  qu*il  fdt  musqu^.  Autre-
ment  il  n'eut  point  eu  o^efi^t  en  leur
estomaeh  qui  n*avuit  point  de  ohaleur
s*il  n*etoit  parfum^.*'

At  the  royal  table,  and  in  esta-
blishments of  mat  lords,  another
custom  prevailed  which  did  not  ob-
tain in  tne  houses  of  private  persons.
Independently  of  the  spices  which
composed  the  dessert,  there  were
others  more  select  still,  which  were
served  in  a  small  box  divided  into
compartments.  This  box  was  of
gokf,  silver,  or  silver  mlt,  and  was
called  a  dragwir^  comfits  bemg  the
principal  portion  of  its  contents.  This
box  was  generally  presented  to  the
king  by  an  esquire  or  person  of  con-
dition, and  to  the  king  only,  unless
his  majesty  wished  fwrtioularly  to
honour  some  one  among  the  guests.
