Preface. xi 



the fighte of the fyffhe," and " alfo loke that ye fhadow not 

 the water as moche as ye may." The "troughte" is to be 

 angled for " wyth a dubbe " [artificial fly] " in lepynge time ; " 

 but as for the falmon, " ye may take hym : but it is feldom 

 feen with a dubbe at fuche tyme as whan he lepith in lyke 

 fourme & manere as ye doo take a troughte or a gryalynge." 

 With the imperfedt tackle and clumfy rod of thofe days, it 

 is no wonder that the capture of falmon with a fly, which is 

 ftill the crowning achievement of the craft, could feldom be 

 effe(5ted. 



After the eloquent pleading for angling with which the 

 treatife opens, the lady at once proceeds to teach the making 

 of the " harnays " of it. The rod flie orders to be conftrudted 

 fomewhat refembles, fave in its larger fize, the modern 

 walking-flick rod. A hazel wand, or failing it, one of willow 

 or mountain afh, is to be procured, as thick as the arm and 

 nine feet in length. This is to form the butt, and is to be 

 hollowed out by means of divers red-hot irons into a taper- 

 ing hole, which is to receive the " croppe," or top, as we now 

 call it, when not in ufe. This "croppe" is to be made of 

 a yard of hazel, joined to a length of blackthorn, crab, 

 medlar, or "jenypre." All thefe are to be cut between 

 Michaelmas and Candlemas, the lady giving very particular 

 dirediions as to their drying and the like. When the two 

 portions of the " crop " are " fretted together," the whole 

 rod is to be fliaved into a fhapely taper form ; the ftaff 

 encircled with long hoops of iron or latten at both ends, 

 and finifhed with a " pyke in the nether ende faflnyd wyth 

 a rennynge vyce : to take in & oute youre croppe." The line 

 is then to be wound round the crop and tied faft with a bow 

 at the top. The reader will note that there is no mention 

 of a reel ; it was only ufed, feemingly until the beginning 



