io6 THE BOOK OF DUCK DECOYS. 



would have a similar effect. One-third of the county consisted of marsh 

 and fen, and this vast portion was subject to frequent floods during 

 winter, and from what I have said it may well be conjectured that to the 

 close of the last century Lincolnshire Decoying must have been a very 

 profitable trade. 



Whilst treating of the Fens of this county I cannot omit the following 

 admirable account of the same, most kindly supplied me by Mr. Thomas 

 Southwell, F.Z.S., of Norwich, whose name frequently appears in these 

 pages. He says : — 



" It is not to be imagined that a great improvement like the drainage 

 of the Fens, which involved such an entire change in the face of the 

 country, and, consequently, in the habits of the people, could be carried 

 out without serious opposition. The first act for the drainage of the 

 Bedford Level was passed in 1578 ; but, owing to vexatious litigation, and 

 even more active opposition still, the work was not accomplished till 1653. 

 Dugdale tells us that the ' almost barbarous sort of lazy and beggarly 

 people,' who lived by fishing and fowling of course, dreaded the loss of 

 their occupation, which was sure to follow the subsidence of the waters, 

 and opposed the improvement by all means in their power, one of which 

 was the making of ' libellous songs to disparage the work.' He gives one 

 of these songs, which is curious, but too long to quote entire. It is headed 

 the ' Powtes' Complaint,' and in it the fishes call upon the waters to 

 assemble, under the lead of 'good old Captain Flood,' 'who was never 

 known to fail us,' and beg Eolus, Neptune, and the Moon also to lend their 

 aid : — 



" ' For we shall rue it, if 't be true, that Fens be undertaken, 



And where we feed in Fen and Reed, they'll feed both Beef and Bacon.' 



" ' Away with boats and rudder, farewell both boots and skatches, 

 No need of one nor th'other, men now make better matches ; 

 Stilt-makers all and tanners shall complain of this disaster ; 

 For they will make each muddy lake for Essex calves a pasture.' 



" Sir Cornelius Vermuyden, the celebrated Dutch engineer, who had 

 settled in this country, and had already done good work, suffered so severely 

 from popular prejudice, that not only was his scheme for draining the Bedford 

 Level rejected, in consequence of his being an 'alien,' but also at Dagenham, 

 where, having in 1621 repaired the banks which hitherto had been too weak 



