Fun (or not so fun) Facts about life in England in the 1660s Even people in the Restoration Era did not like to wear wool next to their skin. But wool growing was a principle English industry. What to do? Parliament passed an act in 1678 that mandated all corpses, presumably non-complaining, must be buried in wool. It was not repealed until 1814. Medical quacks during the Restoration were not limited to men. There were many female practitioners, too. One Elizabeth Maris, who plastered her bills about London, excused her advertising, saying: "she should not hide her talent, which heaven has been good enough to bestow upon her for all your benefit and good." And there seemed no disorder that Elizabeth couldn't cure. She claimed to "drive away all gouty pains in the Joynts, nay, though your arms and leggs were grown crooked and though you have kept your bed for many years, I do not doubt but to relieve you." Talented and modest, too, was our Elizabeth   Sack Posset, a favorite drink of 17th Century England, and one mentioned in several of my books, sounds like a very elaborate egg nog.  Here's one recipe from Sir Kenelm Digby's The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby you may want to try for the holidays: 9 egg yolks 4 egg whites 1/2 pint dry sherry 1/4 cup cinnamon 1/4 cup ground mace 1/2 tsp. grated nutmeg 2 pt. cream 6 oz. sugar Beat together yolks, whites, sherry and spices, simmer in a large pan stirring constantly until warm, but not thickened.  Heat cream and sugar together and as it rises to full boil pour from a good height into the egg mixture.  Let the posset stand in a warm place for a few minutes, sprinkle a little sugar on the surface and serve. Thieves in the thriving underworld of 17th Century London had their own language and were called canting rogues. Not exactly Cockney rhyming slang, but perhaps a precursor. Here are some examples: Cut a purse in cant was "nip a bung." Steal a portmanteau in cant was "bite the Peter Clay." Carry away a chicken, suckling-pig, duck, goose or hen in cant was "lurries crash, either a bleating, cackling, grunting cheat, or a Tib-oth-buttery and Margery Prater." Steal a shirt drying on a hedge was to "clay a mish." If it makes no sense, it wasn't meant to be understood except by other rogues. The bands of the Restoration criminal underground were each ruled by a "godfather" called a patrico and highly organized with laws laid down by the leader of the band. The thefts above were often demanded as an initiation along with swearing to obey the laws and the patrico. The penalty for disobedience was death. Some of these bands of trained thieves and beggars were active for generations. Click here for more Fun Facts Copyright © 2005-06 Jeane Westin. Website design by Web Crafters.