water, or casting it into the water; you your self, being also alwaies moving down the stream. Mr. Barker commends severall sorts of the palmer flies, not only those rib'd with silver and gold, but others that have their bodies all made of black, or some with red, and a red hackel; you may also make the hawthorn-flie, which is all black and not big, but very smal, the smaller the better; or the Oak-fly, the body of which is orange colour and black crewel, with a brown wing, or a fly made with a peacocks feather, is excellent in a bright day: you must be sure you want not in your magazin bag, the peacocks feather, and grounds of such wool, and crewel as will make the grashopper: and note, that usually, the smallest flies are best; and note also, that the light flie does usually make most sport in a dark day: and the darkest and least flie in a bright or cleare day; and lastly note, that you are to repaire upon any occasion to your magazin bag, and upon any occasion vary and make them according to your

fancy.

And now I shall tell you, that the fishing with a naturall flie is excellent, and affords much pleasure; they may be found thus, the May-fly usually in and about that month neer to the river side, especially against rain; the Oak-fly on the butt or body of an Oak or Ash, from the beginning of May to the end of August it is a brownish fly, and easie to be so found, and stands usually with his head downward, that is to say, towards the root of the tree; the smal black fly, or hawthorn fly is to be had on any hawthorn bush, after the leaves be come forth; with these and a short line (as I shewed to angle for a Chub) you may dap or dop, and also with a Grashopper, behind a tree, or in any deep hole, still making it to move on the top of the water, as if it were alive, and still keeping your self out of sight, you shall certainly have sport if there be Trouts; yea in a hot day, but especially in the evening of a hot day.

And now, scholer, my direction for fly-fishing is ended with this showre, for it has done raining, and now look about you, and see how pleasantly that meadow looks, nay and the earth smels as sweetly too. Come let me

tell you what holy Mr. Herbert saies of such dayes and flowers as these, and then we will thank God that we enjoy them, and walk to the river and sit down quietly and try to catch the other brace of Trouts.

Sweet day, so cool, so calm, so bright,
The bridal of the earth and skie,
Sweet dews shal weep thy fall to night,

for thou must die.

Sweet rose, whose hew angry and brave
Bids the rash gazer wipe his eye,
Thy root is ever in its grave,

and thou must die.

Sweet spring, ful of sweet days and roses
A box where sweets compacted lie;
My musick shewes you have your closes

and all must die.

Only a sweet and vertuous soul,
Like seasoned timber never gives,
But when the whole world turns to cole,

then chiefly lives.

Viat. I thank you, good master, for your good direction for fly-fishing, and for the sweet enjoyment of the pleasant day, which is so far spent without offence to God or man : and I thank you for the sweet close of your discourse with Mr. Herberts verses, which I have heard, loved angling; and I do the rather believe it, because he had a spirit suitable to anglers, and to those primitive Christians that you love, and have so much commended.

Pisc. Well, my loving scholer, and I am pleased to know that you are so well pleased with my direction and discourse; and I hope you will be pleased too, if you find a Trout at one of our angles which we left in the water to fish for it self; you shall chuse which shall be yours, and it is an even lay, one catches: and let me tell you, this kind of fishing, and laying night-hooks, are like putting money to use, for they both work for the owners, when they do nothing but sleep, or eat, or rejoice, as you know

we have done this last hour, and sate as quietly and as free from cares under this Sycamore, as Virgils Tityrus and his Melibaus did under their broad Beech tree: no life, my honest scholer, no life so happy and so pleasant as the anglers, unless it be the beggers life in Summer; for then only they take no care, but are as happy as we anglers.

Viat. Indeed master, and so they be, as is witnessed by the beggers song, made long since by Frank Davison, a good poet, who was not a begger, though he were a good poet.

Pisc. Can you sing it, scholer?

Viat. Sit down a little, good master, and I wil try.

Bright shines the sun, play, beggers, play,
Here's scraps enough to serve to day :
What noise of viols is so sweet

As when our merry clappers ring?

What mirth doth want when beggers meet?
A beggers life is for a king :

Eat, drink and play, sleep when we list,
Go where we will so stocks be mist.
Bright shines the sun, play beggers, &c.

The world is ours and ours alone,
For we alone have world at will;
We purchase not, all is our own,
Both fields and streets we beggers fill:
Play beggers play, play beggers play,
Here's scraps enough to serve to day.

A hundred herds of black and white
Upon our gowns securely feed,
And yet if any dare us bite,

He dies therefore as sure as creed :

Thus beggers lord it as they please,

And only beggers live at ease:

Bright shines the sun, play beggers play,
Here's scraps enough to serve to day.

Pisc. I thank you good scholer, this song was well humor'd by the maker, and well remembred and sung by

you; and I pray forget not the ketch which you promised to make against night, for our country man honest Coridon will expect your ketch and my song, which I must be forc'd to patch up, for it is so long since I learnt it, that I have forgot a part of it. But come, let's stretch our legs a little in a gentle walk to the river, and try what interest our angles wil pay us for lending them so long to be used by the Trouts.

Viat. Oh me, look you master, a fish, a fish.

Pisc. I marry sir, that was a good fish indeed; if I had had the luck to have taken up that rod, 'tis twenty to one he should not have broke my line by running to the rods end, as you suffered him; I would have held him, unless he had been fellow to the great Trout that is neer an ell long, which had his picture drawne, and now to be seen at mine hoste Rickabies at the George in Ware; and it may be, by giving that Trout the Rod, that is, by casting it to him into the water, I might have caught him at the long run, for so I use alwaies to do when I meet with an overgrown fish, and you will learn to do so hereafter; for I tell you, scholer, fishing is an art, or at least, it is an art to catch fish.

Viat. But, master, will this Trout die, for it is like he has the hook in his belly?

Pisc. I wil tel you, scholer, that unless the hook be fast in his very gorge, he wil live, and a little time with the help of the water, wil rust the hook, and it wil in time wear away as the gravel does in the horse hoof, which only leaves a false quarter.

And now scholer, lets go to my rod. Look you scholer, I have a fish too, but it proves a logger-headed Chub; and this is not much a miss, for this will pleasure some poor body, as we go to our lodging to meet our brother Peter and Coridon. Come, now bait your hook again, and lay it into the water, for it rains again, and we wil ev'n retire to the Sycamore tree, and there I wil give you more directions concerning fishing; for I would fain make you an artist.

Viat. Yes, good master, I pray let it be so.

CHAP. V.

Pisc. WEL, scholer, now we are sate downe and are at ease, I shall tel you a little more of Trout fishing before I speak of the Salmon, (which I purpose shall be next) and then of the Pike or Luce. You are to know, there is night as well as day-fishing for a Trout, and that then the best are out of their holds; and the manner of taking them is on the top of the water with a great lob or garden worm, or rather two; which you are to fish for in a place where the water runs somewhat quietly (for in a strean it wil not be so well discerned.) I say, in a quiet or dead place neer to some swift, there draw your bait over the top of the water to and fro, and if there be a good Trout in the hole, he wil take it, especially if the night be dark; for then he lies boldly neer the top of the water, watching the motion of any frog or water-mouse, or rat betwixt him and the skie, which he hunts for if he sees the water but wrinkle or move in one of these dead holes, where the great Trouts usually lye neer to their hold.

:

And you must fish for him with a strong line, and not a little hook, and let him have time to gorge your hook, for he does not usually forsake it, as he oft will in the dayfishing and if the night be not dark, then fish so with an artificial fly of a light colour; nay he will sometimes rise at a dead mouse or a piece of cloth, or any thing that seems to swim cross the water, or to be in motion: this is a choice way, but I have not oft used it because it is void of the pleasures that such dayes as these that we now injoy, afford an angler.

And you are to know, that in Hampshire, (which I think exceeds all England for pleasant brooks, and store of Trouts) they use to catch Trouts in the night by the light of a torch or straw, which when they have discovered, they strike with a Trout spear: this kind of way they catch many, but I would not believe it till I was an eyewitness of it, nor like it now I have seen it.

Viat. But master, do not Trouts see us in the night? Pisc. Yes, and hear, and smel too, both then and in the