You must break a goose contrary to the former way.
Take a goose[A] being roasted, and take off both his legs fair like a shoulder of Lamb, take him quite from the body then cut off the belly piece round close to the lower end of the breast: lace her down with your knife clean through the breast on each side your thumbs bredth for the bone in the middle of the breast; then take off the pinion of each side, and the flesh which you first lac’t with your knife, raise it up clear from the bone, and take it from the carcase with the pinion; then cut up the bone which lieth before in the breast (which is commonly call’d the merry thought) the skin and the flesh being upon it; then cut from the brest-bone, another slice of flesh clean thorow, & take it clean from the bone, turn your carcase, and cut it asunder the back-bone above the loin-bones: then take the rump-end of the back-bone, and lay it in a fair dish with the skinny-side upwards, lay at the fore-end of that the merry-thought with the skin side upward, and before that the apron of the goose; then lay your pinions on each side contrary, set your legs on each side contrary behind them, that the bone end of the legs may stand up cross in the middle of the dish, & the wing pinions on the outside of them; put under the wing pinions on each side the long slices of flesh which you cut from the breast bone, and let the ends meet under the leg bones, let the other ends lie cut in the dish betwixt the leg and the pinion; then pour your sauce into the dish under your meat, throw on salt, and set it on the table.
To cut up a Turkey or Bustard.
Raise up the leg very fair, and open the joynt with the point of your knife, but take not off the leg; then lace down the breast with your knife on both sides, & open the breast pinion with the knife, but take not the pinion off; then raise up the merry-thought betwixt the breast bone, and the top of the merry-thought, lace down the
flesh on both sides of the breast-bone, and raise up the flesh called the brawn, turn it outward upon both sides, but break it not, nor cut it not off; then cut off the wing pinion at the joynt next to the body, and stick on each side the pinion in the place where ye turned out the brawn, but cut off the sharp end of the Pinion, take the middle piece, and that will just fit the place.
You may cut up a capon or pheasant the same way, but of your capon cut not off the pinion, but in the place where you put the pinion of the turkey, you must put the gizard of your capon on each side half.
Dismember that Hern.
Take off both the legs, and lace it down to the breast with your knife on both sides, raise up the flesh, and take it clean off with the pinion; then stick the head in the breast, set the pinion on the contrary side of the carcase, and the leg on the other side, so that the bones ends may meet cross over the carcase, and the other wings cross over upon the top of the carcase.
Unbrace that Mallard.
Raise up the pinion and the leg, but take them not off, raise the merry-thought from the breast, and lace it down on each side of the breast with your knife, bending to and fro like ways.