Extract from The good Huswifes Handmaide for the Kitchin, published by Richard Jones in London in 1594.

To boyle a Capon with Oranges after Mistres
Duffelds way.
Take a Capon and boyle it with Ueale, or with a mary bone, or
what your fancie is. Then take a good quantitie of that broth, and
put it in an earthen pot by it selfe, and put thereto a good
handfull of Corrans, and as manie Prunes, and a few whole
Maces, and some Marie, and put to this broth a good quantitie
of white wine or of Claret, and so let them seeth softly together:
Then take your Orenges, and with a knife scrape of all the
filthinesse of the outside of them. Then cut them in the middest,
and wring out the ioyse of three or foure of them, put the ioyse
into your broth with the rest of your stuffe, then slice your
Orenges thinne, and haue vpon the fire readie a skellet of faire
seething water, and put your sliced Orenges into the water, &
when that water is bitter, haue more readie, and so change them
still as long as you can finde the great bitternesse in the water,
which will be sixe or seven times, or more, if you find need:
then take them from the water, and let that runne cleane from
them: then put close Orenges into your potte with your broth,
and so let them stew together till your Capon be readie. Then
make your sops with this broth, and cast on a litle Sinamon,
Ginger, and Sugar, and vpon this lay your Capon, and some of
your Orenges vpon it, and some of your Marie, and towarde the
end of the boyling of your broth, put in a little Uergious, if you
think best.

Text all in one paragraph

straightforward instruction; compared with modern recipes there is a remarkable
vagueness and lack of precision about amounts (handfull is about the most precise). Lack of
personal opinion, but clear sense of audience and purpose. Conveys a clear sequence of
actions to be followed, but gives no indication of timings. Mostly reasonably clear for a
modern reader, but the reference to sops is difficult.